MANILA — Just before the 2026 national budget is passed, Vice President Sara Duterte claimed on Monday that a new impeachment accusation against her would be used as a “bargaining chip” for lawmakers.

Duterte claimed, citing a few lawmakers, that “signatures for my impeachment were being courted in exchange for budget allocations” in February 2024.

In a statement, Duterte added, “Their statements have unmasked the truth that the impeachment complaint against me was never really driven by principle but by price.”

She questioned the timing of some House members’ announcements of a new impeachment allegation, pointing out a pattern “that has become all too familiar.”

“This constitutional mechanism is being dangled once again as a bargaining chip right before the 2026 National Budget is passed To those who continue to exploit the impeachment process, stop hiding behind the language of ‘good governance,’” she said.

“I cannot remain silent while the impeachment process is being twisted into a budget-driven racket,” she stated, even though she was prepared to respond to accusations made against her.

Given earlier claims that parliamentarians were courted with budget allocations in exchange for their support in the impeachment, several lawmakers and outsiders view the impeachment threats and budget discussions as closely related.

Duterte’s remarks followed Bayan Chairperson Teddy Casiño’s announcement that civil society and progressive organizations were getting ready to file a new impeachment charge against her once the one-year ban expires in February.

According to Casiño, one of the reasons for the impeachment complaint they intend to bring will still be the claimed “betrayal of public trust” over purported abuse of private funds.

Duterte’s Senate impeachment trial was delayed by the Supreme Court in July, citing a constitutional prohibition against multiple impeachment processes in a single year. A new effort at impeachment could be made, but not until February 6, 2026, according to the High Court.