House members said any move to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte will depend solely on the strength of the case against her and not on budget allocations or promised projects, rejecting claims that the 2026 budget is being used to push an impeachment drive.
Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said Wednesday that there is no basis to claim that funds are being made available to support an impeachment complaint against Duterte. He said any action taken once the one-year ban lapses on February 6 would be independent of budget issues.
“Tingin ko walang batayan po para sabihin na there are funds being made available to impeach the Vice President at this point. I think whatever moves that will happen by the 6th of February will be undertaken independently of whatever it is that is being alleged,” Ridon said during a press briefing at the Batasang Pambansa complex.
Ridon did not confirm whether any group is preparing to file an impeachment complaint but said that if a case is pursued, it would be anchored on unresolved accusations, particularly the alleged anomalous use of confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President and previously by the Department of Education.
“Kasi impeachment proceedings are not based on projects that are promised, impeachment proceedings are based on quests for truth and accountability, particularly on the use of confidential funds. So the basis for the impeachment last year has not changed, actually, for 2026,” he said.
He added that if House members or civil society groups choose to file a complaint after the one-year ban ends, they are free to do so and would not be driven by promises of projects tied to the 2026 budget.
“So if House members or civil society would want to file it again, as soon as the one year ban is finished, I think they are free to do so, and I don’t think they will be motivated by any promises of any projects for 2026,” Ridon said.
ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio, speaking separately, said that while the use of funds and allocations to incentivize administration allies may be a political reality, this does not automatically invalidate complaints against Duterte.
“Realidad ng bulok na pulitika natin na meron talagang pork barrel system at ginagamit talagang incentive sa mga kakampi ng administrasyon ang budget, realidad ’yon,” Tinio said.
He said the central issue remains the correctness, legitimacy, and validity of any impeachment complaint, particularly over questions surrounding the spending of confidential funds.
“Pero ibang usapin ’yong pagiging tama at lehitimo at valid no’ng impeachment complaint laban kay Vice President Sara Duterte. Talagang may pagwawaldas na nangyari sa daan-daang milyong na confidential funds at talagang dapat na mapanagot siya through impeachment, as well as through other means,” he said.
Both Ridon and Tinio said the Supreme Court should already release its ruling on the motion for reconsideration filed by the House of the 19th Congress regarding the first set of impeachment complaints against Duterte.
Their statements framed impeachment as a process that would only move forward if backed by substantial allegations and accountability issues, reinforcing the view that Duterte would face impeachment only if a serious and well-founded case is brought against her.
