DAVAO CITY — Vice President Sara Duterte on Thursday, August 7, urged the public to respect the decision of the Senate to archive the impeachment complaint filed against her, stressing the need to honor the constitutional mandate of the legislative branch.
“We must acknowledge and respect the role of the Senate of the Philippines. If the majority of its members have made a decision, then everyone should respect and abide by that,” she told local media during an interview in Davao City.
Vice President Duterte made the statement after attending a Misa Pasasalamat (Thanksgiving Mass) for the opening of this year’s Kadayawan Festival. She noted the importance of gratitude despite adversity, saying that people should always thank God for blessings
Asked about whether she expected the Senate to drop the impeachment complaint given the presence of newly elected senators, the vice president said her legal team was prepared for any outcome.
“We had no specific expectation. Our legal team considered every possible scenario, and the Senate’s decision to archive the complaint was one of those,” Vice President Duterte said.
Following the Senate’s move to shelve the Articles of Impeachment, Vice President Duterte met with members of her legal team and several petitioners who had previously sought the dismissal of the case. The meeting took place during a private Thanksgiving gathering.
Vice President Duterte’s defense team welcomed the development, saying they would now shift their focus to addressing pending matters before the Supreme Court related to the impeachment complaint.
Councilor Luna Marie Dominique Acosta, one of the case petitioners, shared the recent update about the gathering in a post on her Facebook page on Thursday afternoon, August 7. She, however, did not mention the venue of their gathering.
The Senate voted 19–4–1 in favor of archiving the impeachment complaint on Wednesday evening, effectively pausing proceedings while a motion for reconsideration remains pending before the Supreme Court.
