Vice President Sara Duterte said she remains resilient despite mounting political pressure, stressing that her strength now comes from ordinary Filipinos rather than political allies.
“Sa totoo lang, iniwan na siguro ako ng lahat ng mga kaibigan kong politiko, pero hindi ako iniwan ng mga kababayan natin. Hindi ninyo ako—kami—iniwan,” Duterte said in an interview on May 4 in The Hague, Netherlands.
Her remarks came after the House Committee on Justice unanimously approved its report and articles of impeachment against her the same day.
Duterte declined to comment directly on specific allegations but drew a distinction between criticism from citizens and statements from elected officials.
“Kung ordinary individuals lang naman iyan, like ordinary Filipinos, pabayaan na natin iyan kasi iyan ang opinion nila, iyan ang damdamin nila. Hindi mo naman mababago ang nararamdaman ng isang tao,” she said.
“But it is different, siguro, kapag congressman na ang nagsasabi or senator na ang nagsasabi. Magtatanong ka: ‘Bakit sobrang sigurado ka na tapos na ito?’” she added, responding to Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, who said the minimum 106 votes required to impeach her are “not difficult to reach.”
Duterte questioned the certainty of lawmakers pushing impeachment narratives.
“Well, hindi ako makapag-comment sa kanyang mga nalalaman kasi hindi ko alam kung ano ang alam niya,” she said.
Despite the challenges, Duterte said her outlook remains unchanged. “Sabi ko nga noon na parang tipong ang pinaka-problema lang ng isang tao ay magkasakit o mamatay,” she noted.
She expressed gratitude to supporters, particularly overseas Filipinos who continue to rally behind her family during difficult times, including the ongoing case of former President Rodrigo Duterte before the International Criminal Court.
“Undying din ang pagpapasalamat sa lahat ng mga kababayan natin,” she said.
“In fact, ipinaabot ko rin sa kanya na hindi kayo susuko, at sabi niya na sumuko na raw kayo. Hindi ko alam kung joke iyon o hindi, pero coming from PRRD, I would take it as a joke,” she added.
“Of course, ako personally, ang lakas ko lang talaga ay galing sa mga tao,” Duterte concluded. (Merlina Hernando-Malipot)
