By DAVE SUAN ALBARADO
MurangKuryentePartylist Rep. Art Yap has mounted a vigorous public defense of Vice President Sara Duterte, declaring he has seen no evidence to justify another impeachment proceeding against her and pledging to vote down any such measure the moment it reaches the House plenary floor.
Speaking in a phone interview with broadcaster ArdyAraneta-Batoy on dyTR, Yap was unequivocal: the case against Duterte, as it stands, does not hold up.
“I am not very interested, Ma’am Ardy, in following developments in the Committee on Justice because, in the plenary, I haven’t seen any evidence to justify opening another impeachment complaint or hearing against Vice President Sara Duterte,” Yap told Batoy during the on-air interview.
He went further, doubling down on his assessment of the Vice President’s handling of intelligence funds — the central issue in the impeachment complaints filed against Duterte.
“I do not see any evidence to change any initial belief that Sara Duterte did not steal any funds,” he said.
Yap’s declaration carries weight: impeachment requires the affirmative vote of at least one-third of all members of the House of Representatives before the case can be transmitted to the Senate for trial.
His vote, and the votes of lawmakers aligned with him, could be decisive.
The lawmaker acknowledged he has not been closely tracking the Committee on Justice hearings, but said this was precisely because nothing presented before the panel has been compelling enough to move him.
“I haven’t seen any piece of evidence presented to me that is enough to change my opinion,” he said.
Yap, a lawyer from Ateneo de Manila, went so far as to say that even had he been a member of the 19th Congress — the body that voted to impeach Duterte — he would not have cast a vote in favor of the proceeding, citing the same insufficiency of evidence.
Yap, who served as Agriculture Secretary under the previous administration, said he draws from personal experience when assessing the allegations against Duterte.
He said he, too, managed intelligence funds during his tenure and understands both the mechanics and the sensitivities involved.
He explained that the use of intelligence funds is not like ordinary government disbursements.
The head of the agency certifies how the funds were used, and the certification is submitted to the Commission on Audit through sealed envelopes — a process specifically designed to protect the identities of intelligence assets and sources.
“There is a need to protect the identities of intelligence assets, and everyone needs to accept the fact that the intelligence funds were used properly when the head of the agency is able to certify the funds’ usage,” Yap said.
He argued this standard of accountability, by its nature, limits public scrutiny and that critics demanding conventional audit trails are applying the wrong standard to a special category of government expenditure.
Beyond the legal arguments, Yap issued a political caution to those pressing the impeachment effort.
He reminded the public that Duterte received 32 million votes in the 2022 elections — a record among elected officials in Philippine history — and said any action against someone carrying that level of popular mandate should not be taken lightly.
“Be wary of any action against a person who has the mandate of the people,” he said, urging the public to slow down and think carefully before pursuing the case further.
Yap said his stance on the Duterte impeachment is consistent with the principle he has applied before.
He previously voted against the impeachment of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. under the same reasoning: that impeachment proceedings are politically divisive and damaging to the country, and should only be pursued when backed by rock-solid evidence.
“Politics aside, this is what is in my heart,” he said. “An impeachment is not what the country needs right now. Such moves only divide the country.”
He said he is prepared to face political consequences for his position, including the possibility of being ostracized by political parties, but that he would not abandon a vote of conscience.
“I choose to vote based on my conscience regardless of whether my actions mean getting ostracized by political parties,” Yap said.
Yap’s statements come as the House Committee on Justice has already determined two separate impeachment complaints against Duterte to be sufficient in form and in substance — a procedural milestone that triggered a notice directing the Vice President to respond within 10 calendar days upon receipt.
During the same radio interview, Yap — a Juris Doctor graduate of the Ateneo de Manila University who practiced law in Manila after his term as Bohol governor ended in 2022 — took time to explain these legal concepts for a general audience.
He clarified that sufficiency in form means a complaint meets all procedural requirements: proper pleadings, correct signatories, a certificate of non-forum shopping, and duly notarized affidavits.
Sufficiency in substance, meanwhile, means the allegations — assumed to be true — are strong enough to support a valid judgment or constitute a specific impeachable offense.
Yap stressed, however, that an impeachment proceeding is fundamentally a political process governed by its own rules, distinct from the regular Rules of Court, which apply only in a supplementary capacity. Passing the sufficiency thresholds in committee, he implied, does not automatically translate into a compelling case in his eyes — and he has made it clear what he will do when the time comes to vote.