Philippine vice president faces 2 new impeachment bids after surviving attempt last year

Philippine activists have filed two new impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte, accusing her of large-scale corruption and misuse of government funds. The complaints, submitted Monday to the House of Representatives, come after an earlier impeachment attempt was dismissed by the Supreme Court on procedural grounds.

The 47-year-old Duterte, daughter of controversial former President Rodrigo Duterte, has been viewed by supporters as a potential presidential candidate in the 2028 elections. The impeachment efforts mark the latest chapter in the tumultuous political landscape of the Philippines, where high-profile feuds between powerful political figures have increasingly played out in public view.

The complaints primarily focus on allegations that Duterte illegally used and mishandled approximately 612.5 million pesos ($10.3 million) in confidential funds both from the vice president’s office and during her tenure as education secretary under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

These allegations were previously investigated by the House, which is dominated by Marcos allies. During those hearings, Duterte notably refused to provide detailed responses to questioning and was absent from several televised sessions, further fueling suspicions about the use of these discretionary funds.

One complaint also raises concerns about Duterte’s unexplained wealth, including questionable personal bank accounts. A prominent anti-graft prosecutor has indicated that a separate criminal investigation is attempting to access those accounts as part of an ongoing probe.

Adding to the gravity of the allegations, one complaint references a troubling incident from November 2024, when Duterte publicly threatened to have President Marcos, his wife, and the House Speaker assassinated if she herself were killed amid their escalating political disputes.

“Her acts constitute grave abuses of power, open defiance of constitutional restraints, and a sustained betrayal of the public trust,” states the complaint, which argues that her behavior undermines the foundations of constitutional order.

Duterte’s lawyer, Michael Poa, issued a statement defending the Vice President: “We are prepared to confront these allegations squarely through the proper constitutional processes, confident that a fair and impartial review will demonstrate that the accusations are devoid of both factual and legal basis.”

The political tensions extend beyond the vice president. Duterte has publicly claimed that President Marcos was complicit in what she termed the “illegal arrest and kidnapping” of her father by the International Criminal Court last year. The elder Duterte was detained in the Netherlands on charges of crimes against humanity stemming from his bloody anti-drug campaigns during his 2016-2022 presidency.

The Duterte camp has characterized these impeachment efforts as politically motivated attempts to prevent her from running for president in 2028, suggesting that opponents are fabricating criminal cases to block her potential candidacy.

In a striking example of the deteriorating political relationship between once-allied camps, Duterte has publicly called for Marcos to be investigated and imprisoned over allegations of kickbacks from flood control projects. She has accused the president of approving questionable allocations in last year’s budget where influential legislators, including Marcos allies, allegedly received substantial illegal payments.

President Marcos himself faces two separate impeachment complaints in the House, though political analysts note the unlikelihood of these advancing given his strong support in the legislative body. The complaints against Marcos include allegations that he failed to veto budget appropriations for infrastructure projects where he and allied lawmakers purportedly received kickbacks.

The dual impeachment efforts against both the president and vice president highlight the fractured nature of Philippine politics, where personal feuds and allegations of corruption continue to dominate the national discourse as the country approaches the next electoral cycle.