Sara won’t quit amid ‘numbers’ to convict

MANILA, Philippines — The camp of Vice President Sara Duterte maintained that she will not resign amid speculative reports that the senators have already made up their minds on her impeachment trial.

In a chance interview at the Senate, Duterte’s spokesman Paolo Panelo reacted to the reports that senators have secured the numbers to convict the Vice President.

Certain legal quarters have said Duterte could resign before a guilty verdict is reached to spare her from the penalty of disqualification from public office. Resignation will then allow her to pursue her presidential bid in 2028.

Other legal experts, however, say her resignation won’t stop the trial and that disqualification automatically goes hand-in-hand with conviction.

“She will not resign – that is clear. It is clear that she will remain in office, because the Filipinos elected her to serve as the Vice President. She will not resign from office. She knows that she is innocent of what she is being accused of,” Panelo said.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros dubbed the reports or claims as “premature.”

Panelo did not say if Duterte might attend the impeachment trial, whether as spectator or as witness.

“Let’s just wait and see. We cannot speculate. We can’t say this early because it’s only Day 1 of our (defense) trial,” Panelo said.

He said Duterte’s morale is high as she met recently with overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong.

“We haven’t spoken recently, especially since she just traveled to Hong Kong to engage with the OFWs in Hong Kong. She has full confidence in her defense team, of course, and she is also confident that she will be proven innocent of the charges against her,” Panelo said.

Malicious

The defense presented Davao City assessor Jaime Adalin as its first witness to prove as “malicious” the prosecution’s accusation that the Vice President did not properly disclose the properties she and her husband Manases Carpio own in her statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).

Defense lawyer Lindon Miguel Bacquel maintained that the property covered by TCT No. 146-2024010775 was disclosed by the Vice President in her SALN.

During direct examination, Adalin said the property that was included in the SALN of Duterte located at Barangay 74-A Davao City was the same as Matina Crossing.

“Based on our research, the name Matina Crossing is based on Republic Act 454 issued in 1965,” said Adalin, who issued a separate certification confirming that Barangay Matina Crossing is also known as Barangay 74-A.

The prosecution previously presented register of deeds officers Kathy Florence Baldonado from Davao City and Marco Pineda from the Island Garden City of Samal, Davao del Norte, who both testified on two pieces of land in Davao City and Samal Island, amounting to P6 million and P3.45 million, respectively.

The prosecution said Duterte failed to declare the two properties in her SALN and accused her of unexplained wealth, false SALN and continued business interests.

“The prosecution’s claim that this is not among the assets declared by the Vice President in her SALN is baseless,” Bacquel said.