The plunder rap filed against Vice President Sara Duterte and 15 others before the Ombudsman over the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds could be a ground for a fresh impeachment complaint come February 2026, Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima on Saturday said.
De Lima said the complaint filed by civil society leaders presented stronger evidence against the Vice President.
“The allegations are more focused now and presented more pieces of evidence. Basically, the allegations are the same (as the previous impeachment complaints) but this time specific violations were fleshed out more,” De Lima said in a news forum.
“These are still overall grounds for an impeachment… This can be either (an impeachment case) or the Ombudsman can opt to file this directly with the Sandiganbayan as plunder and graft cases,” she added.
For his part, Student Council Alliance of the Philippines secretary general Matthew Silverio, one of the complainants in the plunder case, said the evidence they presented was “very strong.”
“It can be both – a fresh impeachment or a case before the Sandiganbayan,” Silverio said in a radio interview.
“It can lead to that (impeachment). We are confident that the Ombudsman will find our evidence very credible. He can recommend filing with the Sandiganbayan, or for an impeachment or maybe both,” he added.
Duterte, for her part, rejected renewed efforts to investigate her in the House of Representatives, accusing her critics of launching “fishing expeditions” against her.
She said despite the fresh complaint before the Ombudsman and plans for a new impeachment case at the House, the Office of the Vice President would continue to provide “efficient, accessible, and responsive public service” for Filipinos.
The complaint before the Ombudsman alleged that the respondents engaged in a coordinated and deliberate system to divert, mishandle, and conceal confidential funds across the OVP and DepEd.
It cited acknowledgement receipts bearing fictitious names such as “Mary Grace Piattos,” “Nova,” “Oishi,” and multiple versions of “Dodong,” among others.
