P500 Million Taxpayer Funds Wasted on Withdrawn Impeachment Articles Against VP Duterte?

P500 Million Taxpayer Funds Wasted on Withdrawn Impeachment Articles Against VP Duterte?

By TheNATIONWEEK.com News Desk | October 15, 2026

MANILA, Philippines – A staggering P500 million of taxpayer money has been squandered on now-withdrawn impeachment charges against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, according to her spokesperson, Atty. Salvador Paolo A. Panelo, Jr. This revelation raises urgent questions regarding accountability and the responsible use of public funds in high-stakes political proceedings.

The wasted resources stem from twenty trial days dedicated to Articles I (misuse of confidential funds) and IV (grave threats) – charges that the prosecution has now officially abandoned. Panelo estimates the direct cost to the Senate’s operating budget for these specific articles at approximately P500 million, excluding the considerable salaries of congressional members acting as prosecutors, spokespersons, or even those merely present.

“This figure also excludes the cost of the ‘mini-trial’ of the House of Representatives on those articles, as well as the substantial public funds undoubtedly allocated for lawyers, media consultants, and content creators deployed daily in attacks against VP Sara Duterte,” Panelo stated. “While I’m no expert on ‘sensitivity analysis,’ a reasonable estimate places the total public cost of these now-abandoned articles easily exceeding P1 billion.”

The withdrawal of these articles serves as an implicit admission that the allegations lacked a foundational basis from the outset. However, Panelo argues that this action constitutes a profound injustice and a denial of due process for the Vice President. “It deprives her of the opportunity to confront these charges and present countervailing evidence in the proper forum, the Senate Impeachment Court,” he asserted. “More than that, it denied her the vindication of an acquittal she deserves had the Court ruled solely on the basis of evidence and law.”

A Deafening Silence from the Senate Majority

What Panelo finds equally alarming is the “lack of outrage by the Senate majority.” He pressed, “Was your time not wasted? Do you not regret that this period could have been used to address the critical needs of the nation? Are you not incensed that the prosecution squandered an amount equal to or even greater than the confidential funds allegedly misused by VP Sara – an accusation they have, to this day and forever, failed to prove?”

Panelo challenged the Senate directly: “Who is going to hold them accountable? A judge in a regular court would have at least given the prosecution a proper tongue-lashing for wasting its time if this happened there.”

He then posited several pointed questions regarding the Senate’s conspicuous silence: “Is it because the goal to disqualify the leading presidential candidate in 2028 justifies the means? Is it because the numbers for conviction are already locked in under the lower threshold? Is it because a longer trial risks shifting those numbers, making a faster resolution preferable? Is it because convicting the Vice President earlier may reduce the damage to Senator-Judges seeking elective posts in 2028?”

“The silence is deafening,” Panelo concluded, implying a deeper, politically motivated agenda behind the withdrawn charges and the Senate’s apparent acquiescence. “Don’t be so obvious.”

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