VP Sara impeached; House gets 215 to sign
- Sara Duterte now holds the dubious distinction of being the first VP in the country’s history to be impeached and facing a Senate trial for violating the Constitution, with the complaint signed by 215 House members.
- The Vice President is accused of culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption, and betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes, including her alleged misuse of up to P612.5 million in confidential fund of her office and the Department of Education from 2022 to 2023.
- Duterte’s impeachment is the latest aftermath of the public and bitter rift between President Marcos and the Vice President following the collapse of the robust Uniteam that brought them a landslide victory in the 2022 election.
- The House of Representatives on Wednesday impeached Vice President Sara Duterte, the first time that the second highest official of the Philippines was formally charged with serious breach of the Constitution that could lead to her removal from office following her break with President Marcos.
Crossing party lines, 215 House members supported the fourth impeachment complaint against Duterte on the last session day before Congress adjourned for the midterm elections.
This number is more than the 102, or one-third of the 306 members of the chamber whose votes are necessary to approve the articles of impeachment.
The President earlier said that he did not support the impeachment, but his son, Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos, was the first to sign the document, and his cousin, Speaker Martin Romualdez, was the 215th signatory.
Taking the floor midafternoon, Majority Leader Manuel Dalipe announced that Duterte had been impeached and that the lawmakers were the complainants themselves.
‘Tyrannical abuse’
The Vice President is accused of culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption, and betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes, including her alleged misuse of up to P612.5 million in confidential fund of her office and the Department of Education (DepEd) from 2022 to 2023.
“Respondent Duterte’s conduct throughout her tenure clearly displays gross faithlessness against public trust and a tyrannical abuse of power that, taken together, showcases her gross unfitness to hold public office and her infidelity to the laws and the 1987 Constitution,” the complaint said.
Many of these allegations were cited in the first three impeachment complaints filed by civil society groups and endorsed by opposition lawmakers. The three were archived as the fourth served as the main complaint.
Destabilizing acts
Romualdez, who oversaw the plenary, directed Secretary General Reginald Velasco to transmit the complaint to the Senate for trial.
What set the House-led complaint apart from the others was the allegation that Duterte engaged in acts aimed at destabilizing the Marcos administration.
These included her boycott of the 2024 State of the Nation Address and declaring herself “designated survivor”; leading rallies calling for the President’s resignation; publicly defending fugitive pastor Apollo Quiboloy, who is accused of serious crimes; obstructing congressional investigations by ordering subordinates not to comply with subpoenas; and disclosing that she had arranged the assassination of the President, first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and Romualdez in case she is killed in an alleged plot against her.
“These actuations and statements from respondent Duterte do not only cast doubt as to her capability and fitness to continue serving under the same body politic she so criticizes, it also strongly evinces a betrayal of the trust imposed upon her by the public and the dignity required of her office,” the complaint said. “Her public statements stimulate opposition to national policies, and provoke resentment, disorder, and violence.”
Pulong ‘enraged’
There was no immediate comment from the Vice President.
Her brother, Davao City Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte, condemned the “sinister maneuvering” of administration lawmakers in amassing support for the fourth complaint.
“I am appalled and enraged by the desperate and politically motivated efforts to railroad the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte,” he said in a Facebook post.
“The sinister maneuvering of certain lawmakers, led by Rep. (Janette) Garin, to hastily collect signatures and push for the immediate approval and transmittal of this baseless impeachment case is a clear act of political persecution.” Garin, who represents Iloilo’s first district, is one of the House deputy majority leaders.
She denied the congressman’s claim, saying she was even late to a party consultation where she signed the complaint as her “constitutional duty.”
The Vice President’s brother said the administration was “treading on dangerous ground.”
He warned that if the administration was unfazed by last month’s massive rally by the Iglesia ni Cristo sect against the impeachment, it would be “blindly marching toward an even greater storm.”
He said that the administration was undermining democracy and silencing the opposition through “fabricated” accusations.
“If the Marcos administration thinks it can push this sham impeachment without consequence, they are gravely mistaken,” he said. “This is not just about VP Sara Duterte—this is about the will of the Filipino people. The growing discontent and frustration across the country will not be contained for long. Mark my words: this reckless abuse of power will not end in their favor.”
Romualdez lauds peers
In his remarks before adjourning the session, Romualdez congratulated the House for exercising its oversight function “with boldness and resolve” in exposing inefficiencies, dismantling injustices and “holding accountable those who betray the public trust.”
He reminded the public that no one, “no matter how powerful—is immune from the will of the people.”
“This Congress will not allow itself to be used for any interest, except for the interest of the people. We will fight for what is right. We will right the wrong,” he said.
The House elected an 11-member prosecution panel composed of Representatives Gerville Luistro of Batangas, Romeo Acop of Antipolo, Joel Chua of Manila, Loreto Acharon of General Santos, Arnan Panaligan of Oriental Mindoro, Ysabel Maria “Bel” Zamora of San Juan, Lorenz Defensor of Iloilo, Jonathan Keith Flores of Bukidnon, and party list Representatives Ramon Rodrigo “Rodge” Gutierrez of 1-Rider, Raul Angelo “Jil” Bongalon of AKO Bicol, and Marcelino Libanan of 4Ps.
Romualdez directed the House secretary general to transmit the complaint to the Senate for trial. The votes of two-thirds of the 23 senators are needed to convict and oust Duterte.
House panel findings
The allegation that Duterte allegedly misused her confidential funds is based on the damning findings from the House committee on good government’s inquiry last year.
These included the use of possible ghost beneficiaries like “Mary Grace Piattos” and over a thousand recipients who signed acknowledgment receipts for confidential funds; the very expensive rental fees for “safe houses”; admissions by special disbursing officers that they were ordered to hand over confidential funds to unauthorized individuals; and the use of Philippine Army certifications on an event to justify expenses.
“The fact that Duterte deliberately failed and repeatedly refused to account for the expenditure of confidential funds of the OVP and the DepEd, and engaged in maneuvers purposely designed to prevent scrutiny, is beyond a shadow of a doubt, betrayal of public trust,” according to the complaint.
Deeds at Deped
Duterte was also accused of bribery and financial manipulation within DepEd, after former and current DepEd officials’ testimonies suggested that she approved monetary gifts and bribes to high-ranking officials handling procurement and bidding.
The Vice President’s net worth also came under scrutiny after lawmakers discovered that her net worth quadrupled from 2007 to 2017 without a legitimate increase in income, and at least P2 billion in suspicious transactions linked to joint bank accounts shared with her father, ex-President Rodrigo Duterte.
She is also accused of being involved in extrajudicial killings during her time as mayor of Davao City, after confessed Davao Death Squad hit man Arturo Lascañas testified in a House hearing that she personally ordered assassinations under “Oplan Tokhang.”
Duterte has repeatedly denied or dodged questions about how her office really used confidential funds and whether the beneficiaries really existed.
Morning of rumors
The Batasang Pambansa was abuzz with rumors of impeachment early Wednesday morning, when several majority lawmakers confirmed to reporters that they have been invited to a caucus at Romualdez Hall.
Throughout the day, reporters received updates on the growing number of supporters to the fourth impeachment complaint. By 1 p.m., it was over 153—well over one-third of the House.
Duterte’s impeachment is the latest aftermath of the public and bitter rift between the President and the Vice President following the collapse of the robust Uniteam that brought them a landslide victory in the 2022 election.
The House waited over two months until the last session day, Feb. 5, to act on the complaints—in the same fashion that the 15th Congress voted to impeach former Chief Justice Renato Corona.
If found guilty by the Senate, Duterte would be permanently barred from public office, including the presidency in the 2028 presidential elections. —WITH A REPORT FROM JEANNETTE I. ANDRADE AND REUTERS
