MANILA – Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte faced a second impeachment complaint on Dec 4, filed by activists and former legislators who accused her of betraying public trust through the alleged misuse of over half a billion pesos (S$11.45 million) in confidential funds during her tenure as education secretary.
The complaint follows another filed on Dec 3, alleging corruption and misconduct. Ms. Duterte has denied the allegations but is also under investigation for purportedly issuing a death threat against President Ferdinand Marcos, with whom she has had a political fallout.
While the impeachment process requires support from one-third of lawmakers to advance, President Marcos’ allies dominate Congress and have dismissed the efforts as unnecessary. Under Philippine law, only one impeachment complaint against the same official can proceed within a year, leaving the House to decide between the cases or merge them.
Ms. Duterte, daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, also faces a separate House probe into her alleged misuse of government funds. This intensifies the political crisis surrounding her amid the collapse of her alliance with President Marcos ahead of the 2025 midterm elections.