Vice Pres. Sara Duterte held a press conference at OVP Central Office, Mandaluyong City on Feb. 18, 2026. In the same briefing, she announced her presidential bid for 2028. Screen grabbed from Inday Sara Duterte livestream.
Vice President Sara Duterte dismissed allegations that she threw a laptop at lawyer Michael Poa, calling the claim baseless and part of a broader misinformation campaign against her.
The issue surfaced during Duterte’s May 6 meeting with members of the Filipino community in The Hague, Netherlands, where an overseas Filipino worker asked her about the circulating rumor.
She described the allegation as a “trash” issue that no longer deserved public attention and denied ever assaulting a colleague, employee, or lawyer.
The rumor gained traction after lawyer Lorna Kapunan said in a radio interview that the online claims might possibly be true while commenting on what she viewed as conflicting messaging from Duterte’s defense team.
Kapunan referred to social media posts suggesting that Poa may have been struck by a laptop, although no proof supporting the allegation has been publicly presented.
Duterte said the accusation was part of efforts by political opponents to distort issues and influence public perception in her ongoing controversies.
She also claimed she barely uses a laptop outside of online meetings, explaining that office staff usually handle documents and computer-related work for her. Duterte added that the laptop she owns was personally bought and not issued by the government, saying she would not intentionally damage it because she would have to replace it herself.
Duterte remains in The Hague to visit former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is under the custody of the International Criminal Court over allegations connected to his administration’s anti-drug campaign. At the same time, impeachment proceedings against the Vice President continue at the House of Representatives after the committee on justice approved the articles of impeachment for plenary deliberations.