VP Sara leaves for Hong Kong

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte (front R) leaves court after posting bail in Quezon City, suburban Manila on September 5, 2026.

AFP / Ted Aljibe

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte left for Hong Kong yesterday where she is expected to stay until Nov. 8, a day before her defense team starts to present evidence in the ongoing impeachment trial against her.

“The Office of the Vice President respectfully informs the public that Vice President Sara Duterte will travel to Hong Kong from Nov. 6 to 8, 2026, to attend engagements and participate in various activities, including an event organized by the Filipino community,” the OVP said in a statement on Friday.

The OVP added that Duterte was able to secure an order dated Nov. 3, 2026, from the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 98, granting permission for the intended travel abroad.

Duterte is facing a grave threats case before the Quezon City RTC filed by the Department of Justice.

The case against Duterte stemmed from her online press briefing in November 2024 wherein she said that she had hired someone to kill President Marcos, First Lady Liza Marcos and former speaker Martin Romualdez, should she herself be killed.

“Likewise, the Office of the President issued a corresponding travel authority,” the OVP added.

The OVP gave assurance that Duterte will cover the cost of her travel using personal funds. “No government money, resources or facilities shall be used in connection with her travel,” it said.

The Senate impeachment court has been asked by the defense camp to subpoena 24 witnesses for the resumption of Duterte’s impeachment trial on Nov. 9. The names of the witnesses who will testify during whole-day hearings next week have been announced by impeachment court spokesman Reginald Tongol.

Meanwhile, the OVP denied that it suffered a data leak involving approximately 10 gigabytes (GB) of documents.

The OVP was reacting after cybersecurity advocacy group Deep Web Konek said the alleged data leak surfaced in an underground cybercrime forum, where the hacker, identified as DeathNoteHackers, claimed to have obtained around 10 GB of documents associated with the OVP’s scheduling platform.

“The Office of the Vice President wishes to clarify that the scheduling platform mentioned in recent reports is not a government website,” the OVP said, adding that the platform does not contain confidential government files nor classified government information.

“Therefore, any alleged data leak involving the platform should not be automatically construed as a breach nor compromise of any government information,” it added.

According to the OVP, the “timing and circumstances surrounding the allegations raise concerns that this issue may be part of a broader politically motivated effort to discredit the Vice President and the Office.”