Civil society groups accuse Sara Duterte of constitutional violations, incompetence, and abuse of office.
A coalition of civil society organisations in the Philippines has filed an impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte, accusing her of serious misconduct and violations of the constitution. The complaint, lodged on Monday, December 2, claims that Duterte has abused her position for personal gain and has violated the principles of transparency and accountability in government.
Duterte, the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, has been at the centre of a public dispute with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and is currently under investigation by the House of Representatives regarding her financial dealings. She has denied any wrongdoing.
The complaint, backed by civil society leaders, religious figures, and former government officials critical of the Duterte family, accuses Sara Duterte of reducing the office of the Vice President to a platform for “violent rhetoric, personal enrichment, elitist entitlement, and a shield for impunity”. Teresita Quintos Deles, one of the complainants, stated that the Vice President’s actions have undermined public trust in government institutions.
The opposition party Akbayan also lent its support to the impeachment move, with a representative endorsing the complaint in the House of Representatives. Duterte’s office has yet to publicly comment on the allegations, although the vice president’s team has reportedly been made aware of the requests for a statement.
The impeachment push is the latest development in an ongoing feud between three of the Philippines’ highest-ranking officials. The rupture between Duterte’s family and that of President Marcos, following Marcos’ election victory in 2022, has become a focal point of political tensions. Leila de Lima, a spokesperson for the complainants and a vocal critic of the Duterte administration’s anti-narcotics campaign, framed the impeachment as “a moral crusade” to restore integrity and accountability to public service.
The impeachment complaint accuses Duterte of failing to attend hearings on her office’s budget, thereby undermining the system of checks and balances. It also alleges that, both during her time as Education Secretary and as Vice President, she was involved in corrupt practices and gross negligence in the performance of her duties.
Duterte recently made controversial remarks suggesting she had hired someone to kill President Marcos, his wife, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez, should anything happen to her. Although she later claimed her comments were misinterpreted, they have fuelled further controversy.
President Marcos, in a statement on Friday, dismissed the impeachment efforts, arguing that they would only serve as a distraction for Congress and not benefit the Filipino people. Given that the House of Representatives is controlled by Marcos’ allies, the impeachment could potentially pass through the lower chamber before being sent to the Senate for trial.
This latest political drama adds to the growing tensions between the Duterte and Marcos families, with both sides continuing to navigate a volatile and deeply divided political landscape.
