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This file photo taken and released on July 7, 2026 shows Vice President Sara Duterte at the Senate to meet with her lawyers. (Photo by Lino Santos)
House Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V branded Vice President Sara Zimmerman Duterte a “Karen,” a derogatory term for an entitled or obnoxious person, over her remarks questioning the integrity of the courts and other government institutions.
Ortega made the remark as he reacted to Duterte’s statements that she did not feel safe and was uncertain whether she would appear before the Senate impeachment court.
“Again, in totality, I think she’s just being a Karen,” Ortega said at the prosecution’s noontime briefing.
House prosecutor Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores likewise questioned Duterte’s claims that she feared for her safety, noting that she had continued to travel around the country and abroad.
“I hope nothing will happen to her also,” Flores said.
Duterte has said she documented alleged harassment and surveillance since 2023 and feared for herself and her family.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla disputed her account of the service of her arrest warrant, saying authorities had coordinated with her security team. He also said police were prepared to investigate any documented threats she submitted.
Prosecution lawyer Benjamin Tolosa said Duterte’s remarks about the integrity of the courts could undermine public confidence in the judiciary, particularly because they came from the country’s second-highest official while she faces an impeachment trial.
“It might erode the people’s trust in our institutions, important institutions such as the judiciary,” Tolosa said.
In a September 7 statement, Duterte alleged that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. controlled senators, prosecutors, judges and police.
She also said her greater concern was her inability to do enough to ease Filipinos’ hardships.
Flores said Duterte’s public statements could test the impeachment court’s restrictions on discussing the case, noting that prosecutors had exercised restraint in responding to media questions to comply with the court’s rules.
He said Duterte should likewise be held to the same standard.
“Let’s be fair also in how we treat these things. Kasi we’ve been showing restraint na and the other party is not,” Flores said. — Maricel V. Cruz
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Credit belongs to: www.manilastandard.net
