Sara Duterte: I have no plans to hide, leave the country

Vice President Sara Duterte said Wednesday that she has no plans to hide or leave the Philippines should she get arrested amid the legal issues and impeachment complaints she is facing.

At a press conference, Duterte said that she still wants to be in the same country as her children even if she gets detained.

“No, I don’t plan to leave the country. I don’t plan to hide if there will be a warrant of arrest mainly because my children are here,” she told reporters.

“So if I get detained, I want to be able to see my children. So I have no plans of leaving the country to hide,” she added.

The complaints, lodged before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office, stemmed from the disruption at the House of Representatives Detention Center and Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) involving the detention of Duterte’s chief of staff Zuleika Lopez.

Asked about what she expects as the worst case scenario, she said, “Ang nakikita namin is removal from office, impeachment, and patong-patong na kaso, multiple cases will be filed.”

(We see a scenario involving removal from office, impeachment, and multiple cases will be filed.)

On Wednesday morning, Duterte did not appear before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) anew to shed light on her remark that she gave orders to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should she die. The NBI had issued a second subpoena for Duterte to appear before its office on Wednesday, December 11.

NBI Director Jaime Santiago said Duterte was represented by her lawyer, Atty. Paul Lim, who gave the NBI a letter on Duterte’s non-appearance and denial.

Duterte is facing two impeachment complaints before the House of Representatives regarding the use of confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) under her leadership.

Three impeachment complaints?

The Vice President said she expects three impeachment complaints to be filed against her with the House of Representatives.

Currently, she said her legal team is already preparing their defense with regard to the first two impeachment complaints filed.

“Very recently, we had a meeting with the lawyers. And what was discussed there was the arrangements. Because we needed more lawyers, we are expecting another impeachment case now,” Duterte said.

She also said that her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, offered to give her money to pay for the lawyers that her team will hire. She said she declined the offer.

The Vice President also said she expects to meet with her father to discuss all the issues she is facing during their family’s Christmas celebration in Davao.

“Hindi pa kami nagkausap ni dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte. I expect na magkikita kami as usual sa December 24 sa bahay ng mother ko. Likely, baka doon namin mapagusapan ‘yan, kung man mapagusapan namin,” she added.

(I have not talked with former President Rodrigo Duterte yet. I expect that we will meet as usual on December 24 at my mother’s house. We will likely talk about the issues there, if ever.)