Vice President Sara Duterte Rejects Calls for Resignation Amid House Scrutiny Over Alleged Fund Misuse

Following suggestions from certain senators that she step down due to her reluctance to personally defend her office's 2025 budget, Vice President Sara Duterte declared on Wednesday that she is not leaving.

Referring to Representative Raul Angelo Bongalon of the Ako Bicol party list's comments that she seemed indifferent in "her duties and functions" as vice president and that she might be forced to resign, Duterte was reacting. She hasn't received a formal resignation request.

"Hindi ako sasagot sa 'Young Guns' dahil kailangan ko sumagot sa 32 million na bumoto sa akin. Hindi sa isa o dalawang tao. Hindi ako aalis dito dahil nilagay ako ng mga tao dito believing I will work for the country," Duterte said in a press conference.

A group of House members who are 40 years of age or younger—many of whom are serving their first mandates as representatives—are known as the "Young Guns."

In an attempt to encourage Duterte to attend, the House of Representatives delayed its plenary discussion of the Office of the Vice President's budget.

Duterte has declared that she will attend Senate budget discussions and refuted rumors that she is complicit in conspiracies to remove her from office in 2028. She claimed that politicians are attempting to use the loob's votes to support their impeachment case. Duterte promised to confer with legal specialists about upcoming House inquiries. The Office of the Vice President's projected 2025 budget was drastically reduced by the House Appropriations Committee.