Sara Duterte: Impeachment complaint not backed by evidence

Vice President Sara Duterte maintained Tuesday that the allegations against her are unsupported by evidence, as allegedly shown during the fourth day of her Senate impeachment trial. Duterte gave the critique in a statement released as the Senate started to reconvene for Day 5 of the impeachment trial. "The country witnessed what I have been saying all along: the complaint is not supported by evidence," the Vice President said. Day 4 of the proceedings centered on the testimony of National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Regional Director Atty. Jeremy Lotoc regarding alleged threats to her life under "Oplan Romanov," and her profanity-laden press conference wherein she lashed out against President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former speaker Martin Romualdez. In her statement, the Vice President accused the prosecution of manufacturing allegations. "Repeatedly claiming that there were threats when none existed, inventing an assassin where there was none, and fabricating evidence to support those claims does not transform fiction into fact," Duterte said. She argued that such actions undermine public institutions and the justice system. "Instead, such actions undermine the integrity of public institutions, erode public trust, waste public resources, and corrupt the search for truth," she said. Duterte also stressed that impeachment proceedings should be based on credible evidence. "An impeachment proceeding should be grounded in credible evidence, not speculation, manufactured narratives, or unsupported allegations. The rule of law depends on facts, not fiction," she said. Lotoc, who headed the NBI's Cybercrime Division, has testified that investigators found Duterte had the intent, motive, and capability to carry out her alleged threats. He took the witness stand anew on Day 5 of the trial.