House Tackles Impeachment Raps vs. VP Sara Duterte after ‘Setting Aside’ First Complaint
SARA DUTERTE – The House of Representatives Justice Committee found the impeachment complaints against the Vice President sufficient in substance.
The House Justice panel previously set aside the first impeachment complaint filed against Duterte for violating the one-year rule ban. The second impeachment rap filed by Tindig Pilipinas was withdrawn as the complainants chose to overthrow their support to the third impeachment case filed by a group of priests, nuns, and lawyers against the Vice President.
In the third impeachment rap that priests, nuns, and lawyers filed against Duterte, the following allegations and grounds were cited:
- 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
The fourth impeachment rap against the Vice President was filed before the House of Representatives’ Office of the Secretary General after she announced that she will run for the presidential post in 2028. She confirmed that she has already recruited someone to be her running mate but refused to name the person.
Previously, the House Justice Committee ruled that the two (2) impeachment complaints against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte are sufficient in form. Then, the camp of the Vice President refused to issue a comment and claimed that they are simply monitoring the proceedings.
Recently, based on a report on GMA News, the House Justice panel found the impeachment complaints against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte sufficient in substance. The said impeachment raps were filed by Fr. Bong Saballa, among others, and lawyer Nathaniel Cabrera.
Quezon City Representative Bong Suntay was the sole House member who voted in the negative side with regards to the sufficiency of the substance of the impeachment raps against Duterte. Based on the report, 54 solons voted in the affirmative and one abstained.
Now that the House panel found the impeachment raps against the Vice President as sufficient in substance, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte has to file her answer within 10 calendar days. House Senior Deputy Speaker Ferdinand Hernandez clarified that the vote is “not a verdict of guilt nor an act of condemnation. It is simply a decision whether the constitutional process should move forward”.
Previously, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte went emotional during a speech as she’s thinking of what might have happened if she remained as mayor and it gathered a comment form Malacañang.