Vice President Sara Duterte revealed that she is no longer in communication with several senators she considers allies, saying this was a deliberate decision to protect them from what she described as harassment by the administration.
Speaking during an interview in Zamboanga City, Duterte was asked about reports of a possible term-sharing arrangement in the Senate of the Philippines leadership—an issue believed to be linked to a potential impeachment trial against her. She said she was unaware of such discussions because she had stopped speaking with senators.
Duterte explained that based on her observations, senators who communicate with or assist her are often subjected to attacks, threats, or investigations. For this reason, she said she chose to distance herself not only from senators but also from other individuals, to spare them from facing what she called the administration’s “bad side.”
The Vice President did not identify the senators she is no longer in contact with. However, several of her known allies in the Senate have previously formed what has been referred to as the “Duterte bloc,” composed mainly of minority senators who voted against holding an impeachment trial against her last year.
Among those identified with the bloc are Senators Ronald dela Rosa, Christopher Bong Go, Robin Padilla, Imee Marcos, and Rodante Marcoleta.
Other senators who joined the minority—without publicly aligning themselves with the Duterte bloc—include Francis Escudero, Joel Villanueva, Jinggoy Estrada, and Alan Peter Cayetano.
It was during Escudero’s term as Senate president that the House of Representatives transmitted the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte to the Senate. Escudero had maintained that the Senate was not required to immediately convene as an impeachment court, a stance that drew criticism from those citing the 1987 Constitution’s requirement for an impeachment trial to proceed “forthwith.”
Escudero was later replaced as Senate president by Vicente Sotto III, who holds a different position on the impeachment process.
