Vice Pres. Sara Duterte Speaks on Impeachment Complaints Filed in House
SARA DUTERTE – The Vice President claimed that there is allegedly no sufficient evidence to warrant an impeachment complaint against her.
In just a month in February, four impeachment complaints were filed against Vice Pres. Duterte accusing her of alleged betrayal of public trust among others. In these complaints, the supposed misuse of the P625-million confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education (DepEd) were mentioned.
Duterte’s supposed threats against Pres. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez was also cited in the complaint. According to the Vice President, she has allegedly ordered someone to go after Marcos Jr., the First Lady, and the then-House Speaker if an alleged plot to kill her succeeds.
The House Committee on Justice has started its proceedings and set aside the first impeachment complaint against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. The complainants behind the second impeachment rap against the Vice President withdrew the complaint and decided to support the third impeachment complaint filed against her.
Tindig Pilipinas, the complainants behind the second impeachment rap against the Vice President, pulled their complaint to throw a stronger support to the third impeachment rap and avoid procedural delays. The following grounds were cited against the third impeachment complaint against the Vice President:
- 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 House Justice panel found the two (2) impeachment complaints against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte as sufficient in form and substance. However, in her latest statement, the Vice President argued that “there is no sufficient evidence to warrant an impeachment case” against her.
Duterte made the statement in response to the reports about a supposed letter from Representative Chel Diokno before the House Justice committee asking the issuance of a subpoena to obtain additioanal documents and records in connection with the impeachment case against her.
“This only reinforces what I have been saying all along. There is no sufficient evidence to warrant an impeachment case against me. The finding of sufficiency in substance by the Committee on Justice presupposes that the allegations in the complaints are supported by evidence,” the Vice President wrote.
In her post, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte reiterated her claim that the impeachment complaints against her are allegedly a political attack to protect some people and advance their interest. Here’s the statement of the Vice President:
The Vice President is given 10 days to respond to the impeachment raps filed against her in the House of Representatives. Amid the looming deadline, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte still has yet to file a pleading on the impeachment complaints against her.