Progressive groups file fresh impeachment raps against VP Sara Duterte

MANILA, Philippines — Progressive groups behind the first two 2024 impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte have returned to the House of Representatives to refile their cases after the one-year bar lapsed.

The Makabayan bloc, which had backed the second complaint previously, was the first to refile and endorse its complaint with the Office of the Secretary General (OSG) on Monday, February 2.

The submission came from 45 individuals representing leaders and members of organizations advocating for marginalized and underrepresented sectors.

As in their initial complaint, they cited betrayal of public trust as the sole ground for impeachment, specifically pointing to her alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) during her tenure as secretary.

Second impeach rap

A second impeachment complaint was filed right after by the first group to ever file a complaint against Duterte.

Seventeen individuals, including priests, relatives of extrajudicial killing victims, urban poor leaders, and other civil society representatives, filed the complaint. It was endorsed by Reps. Perci Cendaña (Akbayan) and Leila de Lima (ML).

"Hindi ito recycled complaint kasi hanggang ngayon, hindi pa sumasagot nang personal si VP Sara Duterte sa mga kaso ng katiwalian, pang-aabuso sa kapangyarihan, at pagnanakaw sa kaban ng bayan," Cendaña told reporters. 

(This is not a recycled complaint, because to this day, VP Sara Duterte has yet to personally respond to the cases of corruption, abuse of power, and theft from the public treasury.)

The second complaint lists five articles of impeachment and now includes the sworn statement of Duterte's alleged former aide, Ramil Madriaga. Madriaga claims that he acted as the vice president’s bagman, delivering large sums of confidential funds to her security aide.

He also said that her 2022 campaign was financed with proceeds from the illegal drug trade and funds linked to now-banned Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).

While the Supreme Court's decision effectively delayed the impeachment trial against Duterte, the minority lawmaker stressed that it does not absolve her of the crimes she allegedly committed. 

Cendaña said it is only proper to pursue another impeachment, given that the vice president's case has neither been heard nor tried through the appropriate avenue. 

"By filing this complaint, we hope to finally get a verdict on the charges against her," Tindig Pilipinas co-convenor Kiko Dee, one of the complainants, said in a statement.

Why were they not filed on Feb. 6?

The Supreme Court initially pegged the one-year bar to expire on Feb. 6, 2026 — exactly one year and one day after the fourth impeachment complaint, filed by more than one-third of the 19th Congress members, was transmitted to the Senate as the articles of impeachment.

It was also on Feb. 5, 2025 when the first three complaints were archived and left unacted upon, which was the reason used to declare Duterte's impeachment unconstitutional.

This, however, was also based on the Supreme Court's original decision that the House had complied with the constitutional requirement to include the complaints in the Order of Business within 10 session days. 

The high court reversed its reasoning, but not its decision, in resolving the House's motion for reconsideration, rejecting the view that the Constitution’s reference to session days for impeachment follows the usual definition, which is generally not tied to 24-hour periods.

Instead, it held that the impeachment was unconstitutional because the House failed to act on the first three complaints within the required 10 session days, stating that each session day concerning impeachment should be counted as a calendar day when the House is in session.

This means that the one-year bar was triggered when the House failed to include the first complaint in the Order of Business by Jan. 14, 2025, allowing new impeachment complaints against Duterte to be filed starting Jan. 15, 2026.

After the Supreme Court's final ruling, Duterte said her legal team has already been preparing for a new wave of impeachment efforts.

"We are prepared to confront these allegations squarely through the proper constitutional processes, confident that a fair and impartial review will demonstrate that the accusations are devoid of both factual and legal basis," Duterte's spokesperson Michael Poa said. 

The House, on its end, also said it is ready to handle new impeachment complaints against the vice president while it holds committee hearings on the complaints filed against President Bongbong Marcos.