LAWMAKERS in the House of Representatives are expected to file an impeachment complaint in December 2024 against Vice President Sara Duterte, accusing her of betraying public trust, bribery, and high crimes, including plunder.
ACT Teachers Party-list Representative France Castro confirmed that a multi-sectoral effort is underway, with numerous signatories already gathered for the complaint.
“The people are behind this effort. We are confident that we can gather the required support and push this impeachment before the year ends,” said Castro in a media interview.
The impeachment push centers on allegations of the Vice President’s involvement in the misuse of confidential funds allocated to her offices—the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Office of the Vice President (OVP).
Castro emphasized that Duterte was entrusted with public funds, but has been accused of misappropriating them.
“Funds were entrusted to you, but you misused them,” Castro remarked. She also expressed confidence that there are enough votes in the House of Representatives to proceed with the impeachment and forward the complaint to the Senate.
“We believe we have the numbers in the House, and we are also considering the Senate’s stance to ensure the success of this impeachment,” she said.
Duterte, a former ally of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., disclosed in August that there was an ongoing plot in the House to impeach her.
The plot stemmed from the ongoing investigation into her handling of P125 million in confidential funds, which was not included in the 2022 General Appropriations Act.
In addition to the fund’s controversy, Duterte is also under investigation for controversial comments she made suggesting that she had arranged for the assassination of President Marcos, First Lady Liza Marcos, and Speaker Martin Romualdez in the event of her own death.
She later clarified that her remarks were hypothetical and not a direct threat.
“I have no intention of harming anyone. What I said was a plan without flesh, just a hypothetical scenario,” Duterte explained.
Rep. Castro also called for Duterte to face an investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) regarding the confidential fund misuse, particularly after the House panel postponed its own hearing to accommodate an NBI subpoena.
“Duterte has no excuse now. She must appear before the NBI. We will verify the documents she signed, especially the acknowledgment receipts,” Castro stated.
“If those receipts are fraudulent, she could face criminal charges for signing them without proper verification.”, the offcial added.