MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte said fresh statements from some House members about a new impeachment complaint against her are “not surprising,” alleging that its timing reflects a recurring pattern linked to budget negotiations.

In a statement dated December 8, Duterte recalled earlier claims by Sen. Chiz Escudero, Rep. Toby Tiangco, and other lawmakers that signatures for her impeachment were being courted in February 2024 in exchange for budget allocations. She said these assertions “unmasked the truth that the impeachment complaint against me was never really driven by principle but by price.”

She lamented that no inquiry had been conducted into the matter, saying billions of pesos were “squandered on political warfare when they should have been used to serve the Filipino people.”

Duterte said the impeachment process was once again being used as leverage ahead of the passage of the 2026 national budget. “To those who continue to exploit the impeachment process, stop hiding behind the language of ‘good governance,’” she said.

The Vice President added that she is willing to answer any allegation “grounded in fact and truth,” but would not stay silent while the constitutional mechanism is “being twisted into a budget-driven racket.”

“Filipinos deserve better,” she said.