Sara Duterte hit with third impeachment complaint

Vice President Sara Duterte holds a press conference, February 7, 2025. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File MANILA (2nd UPDATE) — A group of priests, nuns, and lawyers on Monday filed this year's third impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte. 

The complaint accused Duterte of misusing around P612 million in confidential funds and corrupting officials of the Department of Education when she was still its head. It also revived allegations that she threatened to assassinate former ally President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. 

Duterte previously denied the charges. 

"This is not political, we are not politicians," Reverend Joselito Sarabia, a Catholic priest and one of the complainants, told reporters outside the House complex.

"We believe there is a moral concern. That's why we are here again," he said, adding it was time for Duterte to "answer all accusations".

ML party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, who endorsed the complaint, said she was confident it would advance to a House vote, calling it an "improved version of the articles of impeachment" sent before. 

Last week, Philippine civil society leaders and members of a left-wing coalition filed separate similar impeachment complaints against Duterte.

Duterte says Akbayan-endorsed complaint ‘baseless', 'an abuse of impeachment'

Duterte's camp said they were not surprised by the filing of the third impeachment complaint.

"The filing of additional complaints was anticipated by the Defense Team," said Atty. Michael Poa, legal counsel of Duterte.

"For now, we will continue to closely monitor developments and address these complaint through the appropriate constitutional processes," he added.

Earlier impeachment complaints have been transmitted to the Office of House Speaker Bojie Dy III, but have yet to be referred to the Justice Committee.

Under the Philippine constitution, an impeachment by the House triggers a Senate trial, where a guilty verdict means expulsion from office and a lifetime ban on political service.

Duterte was successfully impeached by the House last year on similar charges brought by a group backed by de Lima and other lawmakers. A Senate trial that followed saw the body kick the case back to the House while questioning its constitutionality.

The Supreme Court subsequently ruled that the impeachment was a violation of a constitutional rule against multiple complaints being filed in the same year.

The court upheld its ruling in late January.

— With reports from Agence France-Presse; Agatha Gregorio and Jervis Manahan, ABS-CBN News