VICE President Sara Duterte has insisted that the case against her rests on no solid evidence, arguing that the fourth day of her Senate impeachment trial only proved what she has maintained from the start.
In a statement issued as proceedings resumed for their fifth day, she told the public: “The country witnessed what I have been saying all along: the complaint is not supported by evidence.” Her remarks came amid continuing debates over what constitutes valid proof in the historic proceedings.
Day four focused heavily on testimony from NBI Cybercrime Division chief Atty. Jeremy Lotoc, covering both the alleged surveillance operation “Oplan Romanov” and her earlier public remarks criticizing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta‑Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez. Lotoc, who returned to the witness stand on day five, had stated that investigators found intent, motive, and capability behind the Vice President’s alleged threats—claims Duterte firmly rejects as invented.
The Vice President went further, accusing the prosecution of building a case on fiction rather than facts. “Repeatedly claiming that there were threats when none existed, inventing an assassin where there was none, and fabricating evidence to support those claims does not transform fiction into fact,” she said. She warned that such tactics harm more than just her defense, noting that they “undermine the integrity of public institutions, erode public trust, waste public resources, and corrupt the search for truth.”
Duterte emphasized that impeachment must be anchored in verifiable proof, not speculation or crafted narratives. “An impeachment proceeding should be grounded in credible evidence, not speculation, manufactured narratives, or unsupported allegations. The rule of law depends on facts, not fiction,” she stressed. Her statement sets the tone for the next phase of the trial, as the Senate weighs conflicting accounts over whether her words crossed legal lines or remain protected expression.
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