Update on Impeachment Complaints vs. VP Sara Duterte Filed in House
SARA DUTERTE – The House of Representatives’ Committee on Justice declared the impeachment complaints as “sufficient in grounds”.
Out of the four impeachment raps filed against the Vice President before the Office of the Secretary General of the House of Representatives, the House found two (2) impeachment complaints against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte sufficient in form and substance. The first complaint was set aside by the panel.
According to the House Committee on Justice, the first impeachment complaint against Duterte violates the one year rule ban. With regards to the second impeachment rap, the complainants, the Tindig Pilipinas, decided to withdraw the complaint and support the third impeachment rap.
The decision of Tindig Pilipinas is anchored in the pursuit of avoiding procedural delays and giving the third impeachment complaint a boost. Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Representative Leila de Lima is one of the endorsers of the second impeachment rap against Duterte.
The third impeachment complaint against Vice Pres. Duterte raised 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
Duterte was given 10 days to answer to the impeachment raps filed against her before the House. She and her camp claimed that they expected the complaints even before the first impeachment rap was filed against her.
On the day of the deadline set by the House Justice panel, Monday, March 16, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte filed the answer to the impeachment complaints that were found sufficient in form and substance by the House Justice committee. Today, the panel discussed the grounds raised in the said impeachment raps against the Vice President.
Based on PhilStar, the House Committee on Justice declared the two (2) impeachment complaints against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte as sufficient in grounds. Based on the post, the initial dates of the hearing proper of the said impeachment raps against the Vice President are scheduled on the following:
- March 25
- April 14
- April 22
- April 29
The Vice President and her camp has yet to issue a statement. Recently, amid the oil price issue in the Philippines and the war in the Middle East, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte criticized Pres. Bongbong Marcos anew over his alleged shortcomings as president of the country.