Complaint cites constitutional violations, graft, bribery, high crimes

A coalition of activists lodged an impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday, accusing her of corruption and misconduct.

The complaint added to Duterte’s legal woes as she faces a probe into her alleged death threat against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez, as well as another inquiry into her use of government funds.

The complaint sought Duterte’s impeachment on grounds of “culpable violation of the constitution, graft and corruption, bribery, betrayal of public trust and other high crimes,” Akbayan said in a statement.

One of the complainants, former presidential peace adviser Teresita Quintos Deles, accused Duterte of insulting the rule of law.

“The Vice President has reduced public office to a platform for violent rhetoric, personal enrichment, elitist entitlement and a shield for impunity,” Deles said.

The complaint was filed at the House Secretary General’s Office and was endorsed by Akbayan Rep. Perci Cendaña, but it remained unclear if it will get the backing of the one-third of lawmakers needed to move to a Senate trial.

The complainants included former presidential adviser on the peace process Teresita Quintos Deles; Fr. Flaviano Villanueva; running priest Fr. Robert Reyes; Randy Delos Santos, the uncle of 17-year-old drug war victim Kian Delos Santos; Francis Aquino Dee; Leah Navarro; Sylvia Estrada Claudio; Alicia Murphy; Sr. Mary Grace De Guzman; and former Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano, among others.

They were accompanied by Mamamayang Liberal party-list first nominee and former senator Leila De Lima, who acted as the group’s spokesperson.

While Marcos’ allies hold a majority in the House of Representatives, the President has publicly called such efforts a waste of time.

Cendaña, for his part, said the filing of the impeachment complaint marked “a critical juncture in our nation’s demand for accountability.”

“I stand in full support of the brave citizens calling for Duterte to answer for her blatant violations of the Constitution, egregious corruption, and complicity in mass murder…The entrenched culture of impunity and graft will only be dismantled when those who perpetuate and profit from it are held to account,” he said.

De Lima also underscored the significance of the impeachment complaint: “Public office is not a throne of privilege; it is a position of trust. Sara Duterte has desecrated that trust with her blatant abuses of power. This impeachment is not just a legal battle but a moral crusade to restore dignity and decency to public service.”

Among the possible violations of the Constitution and existing graft and corruption laws listed in the complaint are Duterte’s alleged failure to properly account for the P125 million in confidential funds granted to the OVP in 2022 as well as for over P650 million in additional confidential and intelligence funds for the OVP and Department of Education in 2023.

The Vice President was also accused of amassing P111 million in personal accounts and hundreds of millions in joint accounts with her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, between 2007 and 2015; and having a direct involvement in extrajudicial killings through the Davao Death Squad during her terms as Davao mayor.

The complaint alleged that Duterte enabled and protected fugitive Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, who is accused of human trafficking and child abuse.

It also listed what the complainants described as the Vice President “public meltdown on Nov. 24, 2024, where she admitted having contacted someone to kill high-ranking officials, including President Marcos and Speaker Romualdez, should her life be endangered.”

Lawmakers on Monday said while they respect the President’s appeal not to pursue impeachment proceedings against the Vice President, citizens have the constitutional right to file such complaints and they are duty-bound to act on them if filed.

“We respect the opinion of the President. His statement says a lot. However, we cannot stop anybody here from filing or any citizen for that matter from taking interest in an impeachment complaint,” House Assistant Majority Leader Pammy Zamora said.

Fellow Assistant Majority Leader Zia Alonto Adiong added Mr. Marcos’ message was an appeal, not an order, and reflected the President’s respect for the independence of the legislative branch.

1-Rider party-list Rep. Rodge Gutierrez added: “This is a constitutional mandate. The process of impeachment is in our Constitution. Should there be any complaints filed, we are duty-bound to hear it out, check the merits, and give it due process.”

House Secretary General Reginald Velasco noted that “addressing an impeachment complaint is not a discretionary act for the House of Representatives but a constitutional obligation.”

“The House of Representatives remains committed to conducting the proceedings with transparency, impartiality, and full respect for the rule of law. This constitutional mandate is a vital function of Congress in maintaining public trust in government institutions,” Velasco said.

“We call on all parties to allow the legal process to take its course, ensuring that truth and justice prevail,” he added.

Under the Constitution, the House has 10 session days from the filing of the verified impeachment complaint to include it in the order of business, and three days thereafter to refer it to the House committee on justice.

The House justice committee has then 60 session days to submit a report to the plenary, after which the leadership has 10 session days to calendar it for resolution.

As this developed, the Philippine National Police said it still has not received any credible information on the supposed documented threat against the Vice President.

“Our Vice President is saying that she has documented threats…We have not been given a copy of those,” PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo.

“We are presuming and assuming the Presidential Security Command was furnished this documented threat. The PSC has direct authority when it comes to the security of our President and Vice President,” Fajardo added.

Duterte earlier clarified her statement of having contacted someone to kill the First Couple and Romualdez was meant to highlight the threat to her own security.

Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Groups file impeachment complaint vs Vice President Sara Duterte.”