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HOUSE LEADERS TELL IMPEACHED VP SARA: CONFIDENCE WON'T ERASE OVERWHELMING, DAMNING EVIDENCE House leaders on Wednesday, April 23, dismissed impeached Vice President Sara Duterte's claim that she is "most confident" in defeating impeachment charges, insisting that the case is supported by overwhelming, damning evidence involving the misuse of public funds and potential falsification of government records. House Assistant Majority Leader and Zambales 1st District Rep. Jay Khonghun and Deputy Majority Leader and La Union 1st District Rep. Paolo Ortega said Duterte's remarks cannot diminish the gravity of the charges she is facing before the Senate, which will sit as an impeachment court. "Libre ang mangarap. She can be as confident as she wants, but that doesn't change the facts. The evidence we've uncovered is substantial, well documented, and rooted in her own actions. This is not political harassment. It is accountability in action," Khonghun, chairperson of the House Special Committee on Bases Conversion, said. In the Articles of Impeachment filed against the Vice President, the House of Representatives cited her spending of P125 million out of P612.5 million in confidential funds in just 11 days in December 2022. The Vice President also used confidential funds despite having no mandate under the law to conduct intelligence or surveillance operations. "The OVP is not an intelligence agency. Using intelligence funds was not just irregular, it was illegal," Ortega said. Even more disturbing, Ortega added, is the emerging evidence that several recipients of the confidential funds were fake or bogus entities, raising the possibility that transactions were fabricated to cover up the misuse. "We now have information that points to non-existent or suspicious recipients of public funds. That's not just a violation. It's a deception," Ortega alleged. "This goes beyond technicalities. This is potential fraud against the Filipino people," he added. Duterte, speaking in Cebu on Tuesday, dismissed the charges and said she was confident her legal team would secure an acquittal. She also confirmed that her endorsements of 12 Senate candidates, including several close allies of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, were intended to counter what she described as "injustice." Khonghun warned against using political alliances or electoral influence to sway the outcome of the Senate trial. "This is not about former President Duterte. This is about Sara Duterte's own actions, her own accountability," Khonghun said. Ortega, meanwhile, cautioned against reducing the impeachment process to a political maneuver. "This is not about drama, endorsements or dynasty politics. It's about upholding the Constitution and protecting public funds. No amount of spin or campaigning will erase the truth," Ortega said. The Senate is expected to convene as an impeachment court in June and begin the trial in July. "The evidence is clear, the violations are serious, and the public deserves the truth," Ortega said. "This isn't a confidence game. This is the Constitution at work," Ortega added.