Catholic priests, lawyers and members of religious groups on Thursday filed the third impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte over her alleged misuse of Office of the Vice President (OVP) and Department of Education (DepEd) confidential funds.
Lawyer Amando Virgil Ligutan filed the complaint with the Office of the House Secretary General Reginald Velasco on behalf of the complainants.
They included six priests from the Diocese of Novaliches, Order of Carmelites and Congregation of Mission, leaders of non-government organizations Stop Corruption Philippines and Stand up for God Rosary Group, Union of Peoples’ Lawyers in Mindanao and Ligutan himself.
Camarines Sur Rep. Gabriel Bordado, Jr. officially endorsed the third impeachment complaint against the Vice President.
He cited the gravity of the decision, emphasizing the need to uphold the rule of law and protect the integrity of democratic institutions.
“This decision is not made lightly but with a deep sense of responsibility to ensure accountability at the highest levels of government,” he said.
He cited several contentious actions and statements by Duterte as grounds for impeachment, including death threats against President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and House Speaker Martin Romualdez, which he described as “deeply troubling.”
The impeachment complaint was based on the findings of the House good government and public accountability committee, which revealed that several supposed recipients of confidential funds were apparently fictitious individuals, among other discrepancies.
“The complainants are arguing that it is no longer just a constitutional, [and] legal obligation of the members of Congress to impeach, [or] remove the Vice President. The obligation becomes a moral one,” Ligutan said.
He said Duterte failed to show documentary evidence of payment of rewards or proof that her information gathering was successful, citing inexcusable negligence to ensure that the taxpayers’ money was properly spent.
The third impeachment rap accused Duterte of willful public fund misuse after it was exposed that alleged beneficiaries of her confidential funds, such as Mary Grace Piattos, Kokoy Villamin, Alice Cresencio and Milky Secuya, apparently did not exist.
“We are citing culpable violation of the Constitution. We are also invoking betrayal of public trust, plunder, malversation, technical malversation and bribery,” Ligutan said.
He questioned Duterte’s spending of P125 million in just 11 days without proper documentation.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline: “Priests lead filing of 3rd impeachment complaint vs. Sara Duterte”
