A third impeachment complaint has been filed against Vice President Sara Duterte. This time, the complainants include several priests and a group of lawyers. The grounds for impeachment cited are culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption, plunder, malversation of public funds, and betrayal of public trust.
The complainants include Monsignor Antonio E. Labiao Jr. of the Novaliches Diocese, Father Daniel Franklin “Danny” Pilario, and the Union of Peoples’ Lawyers in Mindanao. The third impeachment complaint was endorsed by Camarines Sur Representative Gabriel Bordado and Deputy House Minority Leader Representative Lex Anthony Cris Colada of the AAMBIS-OWA party-list.
Attorney Amando Virgil Ligutan, lead counsel for the complainants, stated that their impeachment complaints are based on findings from hearings conducted by the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, chaired by Manila’s 3rd District Congressman Joel Chua, regarding VP Duterte’s alleged mishandling of ₱612.5 million in confidential funds for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd).
It can be recalled that the first impeachment complaint against VP Sara was filed on December 2 by members of civil society and 17 others, accompanied by former Senator Leila de Lima. That complaint was endorsed by Akbayan Party-list Representative Perci Cendaña and cited grounds such as culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, bribery, betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes.
The second impeachment complaint, filed on December 4, was endorsed by Representatives France Castro, Arlene Brosas, and Raoul Manuel of the Makabayan bloc. This complaint listed three primary allegations: abuse, misuse, and wastage of confidential funds; systematic cover-up of these actions through fabricated accomplishment reports, receipts, and documents submitted to the Commission on Audit (COA); and deliberate obstruction of congressional investigation and oversight.
