Duterte鈥檚 threats, misuse of secret funds are grounds in 4th complaint
Vice President Sara Duterte FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Issues cited in the previous impeachment raps against Vice President Sara Duterte — her threats against the President and other officials and confidential fund (CF) issues with her offices — were used as grounds for the fourth complaint.
Copies of the fourth impeachment complaint which was concurred by 215 House of Representatives lawmakers showed that there were seven articles of impeachment:
- Betrayal of public trust, commission of high crimes due to her threats to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez
- Betrayal of public trust and graft and corruption due to misuse of CFs within the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Office of the Vice President (OVP)
- Betrayal of public trust and bribery within the DepEd
- Violation of the 1987 Constitution and betrayal of public trust due to unexplained wealth and failure to disclose assets
- Commission of high crimes, due to involvement in extrajudicial killings in the drug war
- Betrayal of public trust due to allege destabilization plots and high crimes of sedition and insurrection
- Betrayal of acts due to her unbecoming conduct as Vice President
The articles mentioned in the fourth impeachment complained has similarities with the first petition, that was filed by 16 members of civil society groups last December 2.
Former senator Leila de Lima, spokesperson for the first set of complainants, previously said that among the issues they cited against Duterte was the CF misuse, the threats to ranking government officials, and her supposed involvement in extrajudicial killings (EJKs) when she was Davao City mayor.
READ: First impeachment complaint vs VP Sara filed at House
Article continues after this advertisementThe CF issues that de Lima was referring to are the discoveries made by the House committee on good government and public accountability, like the admission from OVP and DepEd’s special disbursing officers that they left the disbursement of secret funds to security officers.
Article continues after this advertisementREAD: Solon: SDO’s move to give up fund release role may lead to malversation
The threats meanwhile came after Duterte visited Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez, her chief-of-staff who was detained at the House premises last November 21. After this visit, Duterte locked herself inside the office of her brother, Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte.
During a press briefing, Duterte revealed that she has talked to someone about killing Marcos, Araneta Marcos, and Romualdez, if she gets assassinated.
READ: Sara Duterte’s kill remark vs Marcos is ‘active threat’ – Palace
On Wednesday, during the last session before Congress goes on a break for the election season, it was announced that over one-third of all House members have signed and endorsed the impeachment complaint.
Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe moved that additional references of business for the day be read, during which House Secretary General Reginald Velasco announced that a fourth impeachment complaint was filed, which was endorsed by 215 lawmakers who swore before him.
Dalipe then inquired how many of the lawmakers would be needed to fast-track the processing of the impeachment complaints, to which Velasco said that with 306 members of the House, a petition should have 102 signatures.
With the signatures being more than enough, House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez approved the motion to send the impeachment complaints against Duterte to the Senate for a trial.
Documents sent to reporters showed that key House officials including Senior Deputy Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Alexander Marcos — son of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. — signed the complaint.
Rep. Marcos was first among the 215 who affixed their signatures, while House Speaker Romualdez was the last to sign.
Aside from Marcos and Romualdez, the following House officials also endorsed the complaint against Duterte:
- Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales
- Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe
- Deputy Speaker David Suarez
- Committee on accounts chair and Tingog party-list Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez
- Committee on public accounts chair and Abang Lingkod party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano
- Committee on public order and safety chair and Santa Rosa City Rep. Dan Fernandez
- Committee on dangerous drugs chair and Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers
Meanwhile, the following lawmakers were designated as members of the prosecution team:
- Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro
- Antipolo Rep. Romeo Acop
- 1-Rider party-list Rep. Rodge Gutierrez
- Manila Rep. Joel Chua
- Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Raul Angelo Bongalon
- General Santos City Rep. Loreto Acharon
- 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan
- Oriental Mindoro Rep. Arnan Panaligan
- San Juan City Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora
- Iloilo Rep. Lorenz Defensor
- Bukidnon Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores
