RELIGIOUS groups and lawyers filed a third impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte at the House of Representatives on Thursday morning.
The complaint, led by Amando Virgil Ligutan, was submitted to House Secretary-General Reginald Velasco at 11:45 a.m.
The grounds for impeachment include culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption, and betrayal of public trust.
The complaint highlights the alleged misuse of confidential funds (CFs) by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd), which Duterte headed until her resignation in June.
During a House committee hearing on November 25, officials from the OVP admitted to releasing millions in CFs to security officers Col. Dennis Nolasco and Col. Raymund Lachica.
OVP Special Disbursing Officer (SDO) Gina Acosta revealed she entrusted the CFs to Lachica, while former DepEd SDO Edward Fajarda said he gave the funds to Nolasco.
Investigations showed that Acosta encashed P125 million per quarter from late 2022 to 2023, while Fajarda encashed P37.5 million per quarter in 2023.
Furthermore, 405 out of 677 names listed on acknowledgment receipts for DepEd’s CFs were found to have no records in the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The complainants in the third impeachment case include several religious leaders and members of the Union of Peoples’ Lawyers in Mindanao.
This is the third such complaint filed against Duterte, following the first one by civil society groups on December 2 and the second by over 70 progressive lawmakers on December 4.