House Justice Panel Tackles Impeachment Raps vs. VP Sara Duterte after Setting Aside First Complaint
SARA DUTERTE – The House Justice Committee found 2 impeachment complaints against the Vice President sufficient in form.
Four impeachment complaints were filed against Vice Pres. Duterte before the House of Representatives’ Office of the Secretary General. Recently, Tindig Pilipinas which filed the second impeachment rap against Duterte withdrew their complaint and decided to support behind the third impeachment complaint filed against Duterte.
The third impeachment complaint against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte was filed by a group of priests, nuns, and lawyers. It cited the following grounds:
- Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes in amassing and converting the amount over PHP 500 million confidential funds (CF) allocated to the Office of the Vice President from 2022 to 2023
- Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes in amassing and converting the amount of not less than PHP 112.5 million of confidential funds allocated to the Department of Education (DepEd) for the year 2023
- Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust by corrupting and bribing officials of the DepEd
- Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes in contracting to murder or assassinate the president, the first lady, and the former speaker of the House
- Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust in amassing unexplained wealth and failing to disclose all her properties and interests in properties in her SALN
- Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust in committing acts of political destabilization and the high crimes of sedition and insurrection
Today, the House Committee on Justice ruled to set aside the first impeachment complaint filed against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. The decision came with a 22-10 voting result on the ground that it violated the one-year rule ban.
Based on a report on GMA News, the House Justice Committee found the two (2) impeachment raps against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte substantial in form. The following allegations were raised not only in the first impeachment complaint against the Vice President but as well as the other two (2) complaints.
- ordering subordinates to prepare implausible accomplishment reports supported by fabricated liquidation reports and falsified documents for submission to the Commission on Audit to support the use of confidential funds; and
- dereliction of official duty with her willful refusal to recognize congressional oversight during budget deliberations and its authority to conduct inquiries in aid of legislation.
Previously, Senate President Tito Sotto disclosed that he has been consulting with close friends in the judiciary for legal advice regarding the possible impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte. He shared that, for the past two weeks, two lawyers from the Court of Appeals and another from the Court of Tax Appeals have been briefing him on the matter.
Furthermore, Senate Pres. Tito Sotto also claimed that the impeachment trial of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte allegedly needs to be done as soon as possible.