By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte called it “unfair” to include her family in the impeachment proceedings against her, saying private individuals should not be subjected to scrutiny in a political process.
“Well, I think it’s unfair dahil hindi naman sila vice president at hindi naman sila ini-impeach,” Duterte said in an interview with the Filipino community in The Hague, where she visited her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, detained by the International Criminal Court.
Duterte compared her relatives to families of lawmakers. “Tulad ng mga asawa at mga anak din ng mga congressman, they have the right to privacy being ordinary individuals and private citizens,” she said.
Her remarks came as impeachment complaints against her move through the House of Representatives.
During House hearings, former senator Antonio Trillanes IV claimed approximately P181 million, allegedly from businessman Sammy Uy whom he tagged as a drug lord, was distributed among Duterte family members from 2011 to 2013.
The payouts allegedly included P22.3 million received by the Vice President across three transactions, two of which were in the AMLC report.
Trillanes said the money went to Sara, her father Rodrigo, brothers Paolo and Sebastian, husband Manases “Mans” Carpio, partner Honeylet Avanceña, and daughter Veronica “Kitty” Duterte.
Anti-Money Laundering Council Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura told the House Committee on Justice that banks flagged 33 suspicious transactions and 630 covered transactions totaling about P6.7 billion linked to Duterte and Carpio.
Duterte has repeatedly denied the allegations and described the complaints as fabricated.
She framed the inclusion of her family as part of “negative campaigning” ahead of 2028. “Sa politika, madumi talaga ’yan,” she said.
The VP said she withheld impeachment news from her 81-year-old father to protect his health. “Hindi siya karapat-dapat para sa isang 81-year-old,” she said.
ia/xf
