Philippine Vice President Faces Fresh Impeachment Complaints
Activists in the Philippines have launched a new attempt to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte, filing two complaints that accuse her of significant corruption. This move follows an earlier impeachment effort that was dismissed by the Supreme Court on a technicality.
The impeachment complaints were submitted to the House of Representatives, marking another chapter in Duterte’s complex political journey. Duterte, who is a lawyer and former city mayor at 47, has been suggested as a potential presidential candidate for the 2028 elections.
Sara Duterte is the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, known for his harsh anti-drug policies during his term from 2016 to 2022. Last year, Rodrigo Duterte was apprehended by the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands for alleged crimes against humanity.
The vice president has accused President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., once an ally, of enabling the “illegal arrest and kidnapping” of her father by the international court. Her team argues that these impeachment efforts are baseless and aim to prevent her from entering the 2028 presidential race.
“We are prepared to confront these allegations squarely through the proper constitutional processes, confident that a fair and impartial review will demonstrate that the accusations are devoid of both factual and legal basis,” stated her lawyer, Michael Poa.
The accusations focus on alleged misappropriation of 612.5 million pesos (approximately $10.3 million) of confidential funds during her tenure as vice president and as education secretary under Marcos. Despite investigations initiated by the House, which is largely supportive of Marcos, Duterte has not fully cooperated, avoiding some televised inquiries.
In addition to financial misconduct, one of the complaints alleges Duterte holds unexplained wealth, prompting anti-graft investigators to seek access to her personal bank accounts for further inquiry.
Further compounding the situation, Duterte reportedly made threats during an online news conference in November 2024 against President Marcos and other officials, which has been cited in the impeachment documents.
The complaint accuses Duterte of undermining constitutional order through “grave abuses of power” and a “sustained betrayal of the public trust.” Many of these allegations had been included in a prior impeachment case against her.
The previous impeachment effort against Duterte was swiftly approved by the House but was halted by the Supreme Court, which cited a constitutional provision allowing only one impeachment case per year against an impeachable official.
President Marcos is also confronting two impeachment complaints, with accusations revolving around his alleged failure to veto certain budget allocations from which he and allied legislators reportedly benefited. Marcos’s officials have denied these claims, though Vice President Duterte suggests a deeper investigation into the president’s actions concerning budget allocations for flood control projects is warranted.
