Abdiel Franz Bernales

Over 70 complainants, led by the Progressive group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) have filed a second impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte on December 4, citing “betrayal of public trust” as their ground. 

Photo Courtesy of GMA Network/ABS-CBN News.

Youth leaders, teachers, government employees, health workers, and multi-sectoral groups supported the impeachment case flocked to the House of Representatives as Atty. Neri Colmenares spearheaded them. 

Joining Colmenares to file the case were Saturnino Ocampo, Liza Maza, Teodoro Casiño, Ferdinand Gaite, Eufemia Cullamat, Antonio Tinio, Sarah Elago, and Emerenciana De Jesus, among others. 

They alleged that Duterte betrayed public trust when she supposedly committed "gross abuse of discretionary powers" over the P612.5 million confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education from December 2022 until the third quarter of 2023. 

Complainants also claimed that Duterte "made a mockery" of the audit process and "grossly disregarded transparency and accountability" when she supposedly ordered her subordinates to prepare and submit to COA accomplishment reports supported by alleged "fabricated" liquidation reports and "falsified" documents to justify her offices' confidential expenses.

They cited the submission of acknowledgement receipts, which they claimed contain "irregularities that suggest systemic fabrication." 

One of these receipts was signed by "Mary Grace Piattos," who has no record of birth, marriage, or death, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). 

According to the complaint, some receipts could be more readable, unsigned, lacked necessary details, had wrong dates, and had similar handwriting patterns.

Another act, which complainants said constituted a betrayal of public trust, was Duterte's supposed dereliction of official duty, with her willful refusal to recognize congressional oversight during budget deliberations and its authority to conduct inquiries in aid of legislation.

The complaint accused VP Sara of "blocking" issues during the August 27 budget hearing with non-answers and of skipping subsequent hearings and deliberations on her office's 2025 budget. They argued that her failure to explain past, current, and future spending constituted an "abandonment of duty."

As the Marcos administration distances itself from the impeachment raps, saying removing Duterte from the position is only "a waste of time," Makabayan congressmen and complainants urged lawmakers to vote on the impeachment case based on its merit and their conscience.
 
House Secretary General Reginald Velasco stated that all complaints will be forwarded to the Speaker's Office and processed according to the Rules of Procedure in Impeachment Proceedings. 

He assured the public that the House would handle the process with fairness, impartiality, integrity, and respect for the Constitution, aiming to uphold democratic principles and public trust.

"Our complaint is a clarion call to dismantle the culture of violence, corruption, and impunity, which were the hallmark of the Vice President.

Today, we rise for those who can no longer speak for themselves, demanding that Congress take decisive action to uphold truth, justice, and accountability," Fr. Flaviano Villanueva, former peace adviser, said.