AT A GLANCE: The 7 articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte
The House of Representatives impeached Vice President Sara Duterte on Feb. 5, a process that could remove her from office if convicted.
Presidential son and Senior Deputy Majority Leader Sandro Marcos led the fourth impeachment complaint against Duterte.
At least 102 signatures, or one-third of the 306-member House, is needed for the impeachment case to go up to the Senate for trial. A total of 215 lawmakers voted to impeach her.
At the 24-seat Senate, meanwhile, at least 16 or a two-thirds vote is needed to remove Duterte from office. The Senate went to recess without tackling Duterte's impeachment and will resume its session on June 2.
A successful conviction would permanently disqualify Duterte from holding any public office in the future.
In its verified complaint for impeachment, the House outlined seven articles of impeachment against the sitting vice president.
Betrayed the public trust, committed culpable violations of the Constitution and/or committed high crimes in contracting an assassin and plotting to murder or assassinate the incumbent president, the First Lady, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, as publicly admitted by her in a live broadcast
In a midnight Zoom press conference in November 2024, Duterte let out an expletive-laden rant against President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and his kin amid a House of Representatives panel's months-long probe into her offices, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and formerly the Department of Education (DepEd), for alleged misuse of funds.
Dropping curses here and there, she accused First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos of funneling cash-filled envelopes through the DepEd. She also implied that House Speaker Martin Romualdez, during a plane ride, told her that the Marcoses were pilfering campaign funds.
She then recalled contracting a hitman to take them out if she were killed.
"May kinausap na ako na tao. Sinabi ko sa kanya, 'Pag pinatay ako, patayin mo si BBM, si Liza Araneta, at si Martin Romualdez. No joke. No joke,'" she said in response to a commenter wishing for her safety. "Nagbilin na ako, Ma’am. 'Pag namatay ako, 'wag ka tumigil hanggang hindi mo mapapatay sila.' And then he said yes."
Betrayed the public and/or committed graft and corruption in her misuse and malversation of confidential funds appropriated to the OVP and DepEd
The complaint noted that Duterte gained direct control of at least P612.5 million in confidential funds, all of which were "wantonly and questionably spent in exorbitant, if not fictitious, expenses."
A House inquiry showed that the confidential expenses "are nothing more than ghost expenses."
The article also cited the Philippine Army saying it didn't receive payment for DepEd's "youth leadership summits" despite DepEd saying that funds were allocated for these.
Betrayed the public and/or committed bribery and/or other acts of graft and corruption in violation of Republic Act No. 3019
Duterte was accused of handing out cash envelopes containing tens of thousands of pesos to former DepEd officials, including procurement head Gloria Jumamil-Mercado, bids and awards committee member Resty Osias, chief accountant Rhunna Catalan, and special disbursing officer Edward Fajada.
Mercado, in a House panel hearing, testified that she received P50,000 in cash monthly for nine months.
Committed culpable violations of the Constitution and/or betrayal of public trust in amassing unexplained wealth and failing to disclose all her properties and interests in properties in her Statement of Assets and Net Worth, in violation of Section 17 Article XI of the 1987 Philippine Constitution
The complaint noted that Duterte has been in public office since 2007, with only a three-year hiatus between 2013 and 2016.
But the growth of her wealth is "grossly disproportionate to her legitimate income," and "vast amounts of hidden and unexplained wealth" were not disclosed in her SALN.
Duterte has been accused of having over P2 billion, transacted across her several joint accounts with her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, from 2006 to 2015. As Davao City mayor and vice mayor during the same period, she allegedly received at least P111.6 million.
Committed other high crimes, including the high crime of murder and conspiracy to commit murder
The complaint noted that Duterte was directly implicated in continuing the extrajudicial killings of the Davao Death Squad by its former leader Arturo Lascañas, who has been admitted as a witness under protection by the International Criminal Court.
The ICC is investigating EJKs in the Philippines from 2011 to 2018, including the years when Duterte was Davao City mayor.
In television interviews, Lascañas claimed Duterte personally gave him the green light for the DDS killing spree in Davao City.
Committed acts of destabilization constituting, at least, a betrayal of public trust and/or culpable violation of the Constitution, and even the high crimes of sedition and insurrection
The complaint noted Duterte's refusal to attend Marcos's third State of the Nation Address and the declaration that she's appointing herself as "designated survivor."
She also attended rallies urging Marcos's resignation and defending fugitive Pastor Apollo Quiboloy.
She also made statements like wanting to decapitate Marcos, as well as "remained noticeably and consistently silent" about the West Philippine Sea tension involving Chinese and Filipino elements.
Totality of the Vice President's conduct clearly display conduct constituting a betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the 1987 Constitution, and graft and corruption
The complaint said Duterte's conduct throughout her tenure "clearly displays gross faithlessness against public trust and a tyrannical abuse of power than, taken together, showcases her gross unfitness to hold public office."
