MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte has failed to directly address the allegations raised in the impeachment complaints against her, according to House Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V.

Ortega issued the statement in response to Duterte’s Answer Ad Cautelam, which cited Supreme Court rulings from July 2025 and January 2026 that dismissed a previous impeachment complaint on procedural grounds.

He said the Vice President misapplied the high court’s decisions, noting that these did not tackle the merits of the allegations against her.

“The Vice President continues to stonewall the allegations against her. This is not an answer at all. Instead of addressing the charges head-on, she chose to hide behind technicalities,” Ortega, who endorsed the fourth impeachment complaint, said.

“Hindi naman tumutugon sa substance ng kaso (It does not respond to the substance of the case). They have to read both the Supreme Court decision and resolution again. The ruling did not junk the 2025 impeachment on substantive grounds, but only on procedural matters. In fact, the Supreme Court itself said that its ruling did not absolve the Vice President,” he added.

The complaints against Duterte include allegations of betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution, among others. These stem from the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds, claims that the funds were used as bribes, and an alleged threat to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family.

Ortega said the public is entitled to a clear explanation from the Vice President.

“Accountability cannot be stonewalled,” he said.

House justice committee member Terry Ridon echoed the criticism, saying Duterte’s response misinterpreted due process and failed to fully address the accusations.

“The Vice President was not deprived of due process. In fact, she was afforded the opportunity to respond through this Answer Ad Cautelam. However, the submission does not specifically and completely rebut the material allegations raised in the complaints,” Ridon said.

“A plain reading of the complaints and supporting documentation clearly establishes ultimate facts relating to: the misuse of confidential funds; the issuance of death threats against the President, the First Lady, and the former Speaker of the House; and unexplained wealth and violations of the Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) requirements,” he added.

GMA News Online has sought comment from lawyer Michael Poa, spokesperson for Duterte’s defense team, and will update the report once a response is received.

Duterte has earlier denied committing impeachable offenses, saying her accusers could not prove the existence of a contract between her and a supposed hitman to carry out threats against the President and his family.

She also said a notice of disallowance issued by the Commission on Audit involving P73 million in confidential funds used by the Office of the Vice President in 2022 remains under appeal.

Navotas Representative Tobias Tiangco supported the Vice President’s position, noting that the audit ruling is not yet final.

“The COA notice is not yet final, and she can appeal it all the way to the Supreme Court,” Tiangco said.

On the issue of the Vice President’s alleged threat against the President and his family in a video, Tiangco said any case for grave threats should be initiated by the offended party.

“It should be filed before the DOJ (Department of Justice.),” he added.