Philippines VP Duterte faces third impeachment complaint

[MANILA] Filipino Vice-President Sara Duterte is facing her third impeachment complaint as critics revived efforts to remove her from office, days after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr survived attempts to oust him. 

A group of Filipino lawyers and priests on Monday (Feb 9) accused Duterte of graft and corruption over her alleged misuse of public funds, echoing allegations in the first two complaints filed against her last week. 

“We believe this is a moral and religious duty for us as priests. This issue is not just political,” Joselito Sarabia, a priest and one of the complainants, told reporters.

Duterte’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. One of her lawyers said last week the earlier complaints were “devoid of both factual and legal basis”.

The fresh moves to build a case against the vice-president come against the backdrop of a deepening rivalry between Duterte and Marcos, whose 2022 election alliance collapsed amid political differences.

The two impeachment complaints against Marcos that accused him of corruption were dismissed last week by a committee at the House of Representatives, which is controlled by his allies.

That bars anyone from filing a new complaint against him for a year.

The latest complaint against Duterte was endorsed by Representative Leila de Lima, a top critic of former president Rodrigo Duterte, the vice-president’s father.

The ex-leader is currently detained at the International Criminal Court in The Hague for alleged crimes committed during his war on drugs.

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Sara Duterte was successfully impeached by the House in 2025, but efforts to bring her to trial in the Senate fell through after the Supreme Court threw out the case on procedural grounds in July.

Any citizen can file an impeachment complaint against top government officials in the Philippines, as long as a member of the House endorses it. 

After consideration by a committee, the case will move to trial in the Senate if one-third of the House members vote in favour of impeachment.

A two-thirds Senate vote will be required for a conviction, which can carry a penalty of perpetual disqualification from politics.

Sara Duterte has said she is seriously considering a possible presidential bid in 2028, when Marcos is constitutionally mandated to step down after a single six-year term. BLOOMBERG