Jea Nicole Jacot

Religious groups, lawyers, and non-government organizations submitted the third impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte to the House of Representatives on Thursday, December 19.

Photo Courtesy of Inquirer.net

The complainants’ legal counsel, Amando Ligutan, led the lodging of the impeachment complaint to the office of House Secretary General Reginald Velasco. There were 12 complainants.

Two lawmakers, Rep. Gabriel Bordado of Camarines Sur, 3rd District, and Rep. Lex Colada of the Ang Asosasyon Sang Mangunguma Nga Bisaya-Owa Mangunguma, Inc. (AAMBIS-OWA) Party endorsed the complaint. Bordado is the assistant minority leader in the House, and Colada is the deputy minority leader.  

“This decision is not made lightly but with a deep sense of responsibility to ensure accountability at the highest levels of government,” Bordado said in a statement.

Like the two earlier complaints, their grounds for impeaching Duterte included betrayal of public trust and violation of the Constitution.

The committee has been looking into the OVP’s P500 million confidential fund spending in 2022 and 2023, along with DepEd’s P112.5 million secret funds used during the same period.

Following the conclusion of this year’s eight hearings, the good government panel is convinced that the irregularities found in thousands of acknowledgment receipts indicate a misuse of funds.

Some lawmakers also expressed doubt about the listed recipients and beneficiaries, particularly after the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) confirmed that most lacked birth records.

Reverend Father Joseito Sarabia, a complainant, told reporters that they believed Duterte had "committed something illegal and something immoral against the Filipino people."

“For us, thou shall not kill, thou shall not steal, thou shall not bear false witness,” he added. 

In an ambush interview, Ligutan stated that the third impeachment complaint differs from those endorsed by Makabayan and Akbayan lawmakers.

He stated that it has become their “moral obligation” to act, emphasizing that it is not only a legal and constitutional responsibility but also a moral duty.

Meanwhile,  ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro, Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas, and Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel said in a joint statement that the third impeachment complaint only bolstered the call for the Vice Presidents’s accountability on the use of confidential funds.
 
“The filing of three separate impeachment complaints from various sectors of society shows the gravity of [Duterte’s] misuse of P612 million in confidential funds. We can no longer stand idly by amid this immense abuse of public funds,” Rep. Castro said.

On December 2, 16 individuals from sectoral groups and families of extrajudicial killings filed the first impeachment complaint, citing four grounds for impeachment. It was endorsed by Rep. Perci Cedaña of the Akbayan Party.

Just two days later, on December 4, more than 70 individuals from civil society groups representing marginalized sectors, including labor, peasant, environmental, and student organizations submitted the second impeachment complaint.

It was endorsed by Rep. Castro, Rep. Arlene Brosas , and Rep. Raoul Manuel.

The House of Representatives has up to 10 session days from receiving an impeachment complaint to include it in the plenary’s order of business.

They have three session days to refer the complaint to the Committee on Justice for deliberation on its validity.  

Congress will resume its session on Jan. 13, 2025.