VP Sara Duterte Speaks on Rumors She Allegedly Hurt Her Staff
SARA DUTERTE – The Vice President denied throwing laptop at her lawyer, Michael Poa, amid the impeachment issue.
Vice Pres. Duterte has 16 lawyers in the impeachment moves against her. One of them is Atty. Michael Poa who was also the spokesperson of the Department of Education during Duterte’s stint as the DepEd secretary.
According to Atty. Michael Poa, they are not only prepared to win the impeachment case but as well as to show to the Filipino people that the Vice President is not corrupt. Amid the absences of Duterte in the House impeachment hearings, he also stressed that the Vice President is supposedly not obliged to appear before the panel.
The Vice President’s camp believes that the Senate is the “proper forum” to discuss and answer to the accusations against her. Atty. Michael Poa even said that Vice Pres. Sara Duterte will appear at the Senate impeachment trial if she will be requested to attend.
Through a unanimous vote, the House Justice committee found a probable cause to impeach Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. Here are the findings of the committee after four impeachment hearings were held:
- Detainee Ramil Madriaga’s account of disbursing P125 million worth of confidential funds of the Vice President within 24 hours with cash deliveries in Laguna, Quezon City, and the Office of the Ombudsman
- Madriaga signing a bank waiver to prove that he has nothing to hide
- Madriaga alleging that the Vice President’s election campaign may have been financed by Pharmally which has been linked to anomalous government procurement
- the Commission on Audit (COA) revealing that the notice of disallowance on the P73 million confidential fund in 2022 was upheld by the COA commission proper
- The NBI representatives testifying on signatures in the acknowledgment receipts of recipients of confidential funds
- COA’s Gloria Camora, a lawyer of COA’s Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office, confirming that COA also issued three notices of disallowance on three releases of confidential funds for the OVP in 2023 worth P125 million each or P375 million in total
- the testimonies of various resource persons, regarding the “envelopes” and the questionable receipts, and other statements
- the Philippine Statistics Authority testifying that recipients of confidential funds, such as Mary Grace Piattos, Milky Secuya, and Kokoy Villamin do not have records in the country’s civil registry
- the Vice President not declaring any cash on hand or in bank under her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth from 2019 to 2024
- the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) report flagging P6.7 billion worth of bank transactions of the Vice President and her husband, Manases Carpio, as covered and suspicious transactions from 2006 to 2025, with inflow standing at P4.425 billion and outflow at P1.55 billion
- the AMLC report revealed that there is a derogatory record for the Vice President and her husband
- the AMLC report showing that Vice President was the subject of suspicion in 27 confidential reports dated August 2, 2024 to January 29, 2026 due to suspected activities involving drug trafficking and related offenses, graft and corrupt practices, and malversation of public funds and property in connection with the House Quad Committee hearing on former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, news reports alleging the involvement of the Vice President’s husband in the P6.4 billion shabu importation in 2017 and the news reports on the Vice President’s alleged misuse of confidential funds
- the AMLC report showing that her husband, Atty. Carpio, as subject of suspicion in 17 confidential reports from September 14, 2017 to April 25, 2025 due to suspected activities involving drug trafficking and related offenses, and malversation of public funds and property “in connection with the news reports on alleged his involvement in the PP6.4 billion shabu importation in 2017 and news articles in relation to his wife, VP Sara’s, alleged misuse of confidential/intelligence funds”
- the AMLC confirmation that at least 18 bank transactions linked to Vice President Sara Duterte and her family members, as cited in the affidavit of former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, match records of covered and suspicious transaction reports
- the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) findings that the video of a press conference showing Vice President Duterte making a threat to kill President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his family members in certain circumstances constitutes inciting to sedition and three counts of grave threat, among others.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte is now in The Hague, Netherlands. She visited former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte inside the detention facility of the International Criminal Court (ICC). According to the Vice President, she did not tell her father about the impeachment moves against her.
The Duterte siblings thinks about the possibility of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte dying inside the ICC detention facility. Thus, they only share good news with their father to prevent him from overthinking alone.
Recently, following her visit to former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte was asked about the rumors that she allegedly threw her laptop at Atty. Michael Poa. Based on News5, the Vice President denied the allegation.
“Actually sa totoo lang, masyado na siyang basura ba na gossip na hindi na siya dapat pinapansin pero dahil tinanong mo, sagutin ko na lang. Never in the history sa aking trabaho ako nagtapon ng laptop sa isang colleague o sa isang empleyado o isang abogado,” she said.
Based on the post, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte also stressed that she purchased her laptop with her own money. According to her, the government funds won’t be able to afford the laptop that she wants and she would not just throw away her computer.
“‘Yung laptop ko, personal ko siya na laptop. Binili ko siya. Mahal siya. Hindi ko siya itatapon ng basta-basta. Masisira siya at magastos bumili ng bagong laptop. Tinatanong niyo kung bakit private ‘yung laptop ko. Hindi ma-afford ng gobyerno ang gusto ko na laptop,” the Vice President expressed.
Previously, it was Atty. Michael Poa who explained why Vice Pres. Sara Duterte had no declared cash on hand in her previous SALNs (Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth).
