Two impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte have been declared sufficient in substance by a House panel, allowing the cases to move forward in the impeachment process.
Lawmakers voted 54 affirmative, one negative, and zero abstentions to approve the third and fourth impeachment complaints. Quezon City Rep. Bong Suntay was the only lawmaker who voted against advancing the two complaints.
The complaints cite similar grounds for impeachment, including culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, bribery, and other high crimes.
One complaint, filed by Saballa and others, focuses on the alleged misuse of confidential funds, questionable liquidation documents, threats against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., and alleged corruption during Duterte’s tenure as secretary of the Department of Education.
Another complaint, filed by lawyer Nathaniel Cabrera, contains allegations of procurement irregularities, misdeclaration in Duterte’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth, unexplained wealth, and command responsibility over the alleged misuse of public funds.
Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V, one of the endorsers of the fourth impeachment complaint, said in an interview that the issues raised in the complaints had already been discussed during the 19th Congress even before the filing of formal Articles of Impeachment.
Ortega said the outcome of the vote on the sufficiency in substance was therefore not surprising.
He also said he does not expect Duterte to respond to the allegations, noting that the vice president previously skipped hearings conducted during the previous Congress.
Under the impeachment process, Duterte will be given 10 days to submit her response to the complaints.
The House aims to begin determining the sufficiency in grounds by the second week of April before proceeding to full hearings on the impeachment complaints.
