4th impeachment complaint versus VP Duterte sent to House Speaker

By Adrian H. Halili, Reporter

A FOURTH impeachment complaint against Vice-President (VP) Sara Duterte-Carpio has been sent to the Office of the Speaker after it was received by the House of Representatives.

House Secretary-General Cheloy E. Velicaria-Garafil said her office received the 72-page complaint at 6:34 p.m. on Wednesday and transmitted it on Thursday to Speaker Faustino G. Dy III, in line with House rules.

“The Office of the Secretary General’s role is purely ministerial, confined to receiving and transmitting pleadings and documents filed with the House,” she said in a statement.

Lawyer Nathaniel G. Cabrera filed the complaint on Feb. 19. It alleges that the Vice-President failed to fully disclose assets in her statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) and may have amassed wealth disproportionate to her lawful income.

Mr. Cabrera is seeking a forensic review of bank records, property transfers and other financial documents to determine whether public funds were converted into private assets and whether her declared net worth accurately reflects her financial position.

The complaint was endorsed by Deputy Speaker Francisco Paolo P. Ortega V and Manila Rep. Bienvenido “Benny” M. Abante, Jr., who heads the House Committee on Human Rights.

It alleges that certain assets, bank accounts, cash holdings and property transactions were omitted, understated or not fully reflected in the Vice-President’s SALNs.

Mr. Ortega said the allegations warrant congressional scrutiny but stressed that endorsement of the complaint does not amount to a finding of guilt.

“This is not a conviction,” he said in a separate statement. “This is a process. When there are sworn statements about large cash transfers and serious red flags in asset declarations, the House cannot look away.”

He added that a declared plan to run for President in 2028 would not affect impeachment proceedings.

“The Constitution is not suspended because someone declares candidacy,” he said. “If there is nothing to hide, transparency should not be feared.”

Mr. Ortega also cited unresolved issues surrounding confidential and intelligence funds as part of broader governance concerns.

Three earlier verified complaints alleging unexplained wealth, misuse of public funds and threats against the President and his family are awaiting plenary action.

Under the Constitution, impeachable offenses include culpable violation of the Constitution, treason, bribery, graft and corruption, other high crimes and betrayal of public trust. Ms. Duterte has denied wrongdoing.

The Vice-President was impeached by the House last year after more than a third of lawmakers backed a complaint that was sent to the Senate. The Supreme Court later voided the proceedings, ruling that constitutional rules were violated when earlier complaints were bypassed.

Ms. Duterte on Wednesday said she would run for President in 2028, becoming the first major political figure to declare her intention to seek the country’s top post amid an escalating feud with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr.

The 1987 Constitution limits Mr. Marcos to a single six-year term, and he has yet to endorse a successor.

Before announcing her presidential ambition, Ms. Duterte said running with Mr. Marcos in 2022 was a mistake, accusing him of failing to fulfill his campaign promises and of being complicit in what she described as a large-scale corruption scheme involving the 2025 national budget.

The rift between Mr. Marcos and Ms. Duterte has widened in recent months following policy disagreements and political tensions between their camps.

The political dispute has also unfolded against the backdrop of the arrest of her father, former President Rodrigo R. Duterte, by the International Criminal Court over charges of crimes against humanity related to his anti-drug campaign.