Manila Rep. Joel Chua said Monday they are studying two possible grounds to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte amid ongoing probe into her alleged misuse of confidential funds, but emphasized it is too early to make a definitive conclusion.
As chair of the House committee on good government and public accountability, Chua said their investigation initially aimed to assist in legislative reform, but has since uncovered reasons to indict the Vice President over allegations of graft, corruption, and betrayal of public trust.
Duterte was accused of evading public scrutiny into how she disbursed millions worth of confidential funds through the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and during her tenure as Secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd).
Chua clarified they did not start the investigation with impeachment in mind. “Our purpose was in aid of legislation,” he said, responding to Duterte’s claims that the committee’s work was merely a “fishing expedition.”
Among the issues raised was a P125 million confidential fund reportedly spent by the OVP in just 11 days in December 2022.
Chua said the rapid expenditure raised alarms, especially after the Commission on Audit (COA) flagged P73.28 million of the amount in August, citing regulatory issues and misuse of funds. COA’s notice of disallowance directs Duterte and other OVP officials to settle the disputed amount.
The lawmaker further noted allegations involving P15 million in confidential DepEd funds under Duterte. It reportedly lacked sufficient justification and were found unrelated to the Youth Leadership Summits held in 2023, according to testimony from four military officers.
Another questionable expenditure was the OVP’s rental of 34 “safe houses” over 11 days in late December 2022, with daily costs allegedly reaching up to P91,000 for certain properties.
The rental payments, totaling P16 million, ranged from P250,000 to P1 million per property and were reportedly missing necessary supporting documents like lease contracts. Many acknowledgement receipts were unsigned, unclear, or missing details, according to Chua.
While Chua acknowledged these findings could indicate possible betrayal of public trust, he reiterated that the committee’s primary goal is to identify legislative gaps, not to impeach the Vice President.
“If we should base on these (findings), there could be grounds (for impeachment). But of course, we do not want to conclude yet,” he said. Chua noted the Vice President is free to accept their invitation to attend further hearings and refute the allegations.
