Philippine Groups Seek Impeachment Of Vice President

An alliance of civil society groups in the Philippines has filed an impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte, on grounds of grave misconduct and constitutional violations.

The daughter of firebrand former President Rodrigo Duterte has been embroiled in a bitter row with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and is the subject of an enquiry into her spending by the House of Representatives. She denies wrongdoing.

Monday’s complainants included civil society and religious leaders, as well as former government officials critical of her father.

“The Vice President has reduced public office to a platform for violent rhetoric, personal enrichment, elitist entitlement and a shield for impunity,” Teresita Quintos Deles, one of the complainants, said in a statement.

A representative of the Akbayan opposition party endorsed the complaint in the Philippine House of Representatives.

Duterte’s office said requests for comment had been relayed to the Vice-President.

The impeachment bid is the latest twist in a high-profile row among three of the Philippines’ highest office-holders after the collapse of a powerful alliance between their families led to Marcos’ landslide win in the 2022 election.

“This impeachment is not just a legal battle but a moral crusade to restore dignity and decency to public service,” said Leila de Lima, a spokesperson for the complainants and a staunch critic of an anti-narcotics campaign run by Duterte’s father.

The complaint accused Duterte of violating the Philippine constitution by refusing to attend hearings on her budget which violated the system of checks and balances, and graft, both as vice president’s office and when she was the education minister.

It also accused her of gross incompetence and dereliction of duty.

Sara Duterte recently said she had contracted someone to kill Marcos, his wife and House Speaker Martin Romualdez, the president’s cousin, if she herself were to be killed. Later she said the remarks had been taken out of context.

On Friday, in remarks that drew criticism from some lawmakers, Marcos said any impeachment complaint against his estranged vice president would only distract Congress and not help people.

The Philippines’ lower chamber of congress is dominated by allies of Marcos, which could allow her impeachment to go through the lower chamber before an impeachment trial in the Senate.

REUTERS/Christopher Ojilere