Sara Duterte: Impeached

Belle Boom

FEBRUARY 7, 2025

Protest in support of the impeachment of Sara Duterte.

Photo from Reuters.

Over 200 House of Representatives members signed an impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte at the House Plenary Session on Wednesday, February 5. 

Several months of prolonged complaints filed by civil society members concerning the vice president’s actions have come to light and are now being passed to the Senate for trial. 

On the other hand, some citizens are against the vice president’s impeachment. Vivienne Gulla, an ABS-CBN journalist and reporter, states, “The Filipino people will not sit idly by as this government undermines democracy and silences opposition through fabricated accusations. If the Marcos administration thinks it can push this sham impeachment without consequence, they are gravely mistaken.”

Sara Duterte is fighting allegations concerning the misuse of over 600 million pesos worth of public funds. A month-long investigation has revealed that Duterte submitted receipts to state auditors signed by individuals with no birth records. The appraisal also shows that the vice president let security personnel handle confidential funds, violating government rules. 

Beyond this, Duterte also faces accusations of conspiracy to assassinate President Bongbong Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and Speaker Romualdez; bribery and corruption under her administrative rule of the Department of Education (DepEd); involvement in the extrajudicial killings of the Davao Death Squad; destabilization, insurrection, and public disorder; and finally, totality of conduct as vice president. 

The 215 supporters of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment include House Senior Deputy Majority Leader Sandro Marco, Ralph Tulfo, Aniela Tolentino, and Martin Romualdez. 

Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Camille Villar, Erwin Tulfo, and Eddie Villanueva are among those who did not sign off on the complaint.

Sara Duterte amidst impeachment decision.

Photo from Al Jazeera.

Currently, Sara Duterte firmly denies the allegations against her, claiming political vendetta. She will remain in office awaiting the result of the trial. 

REFERENCES

Jazeera, Al (2025, February 5). Philippine House impeaches Vice President Sara Duterte. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/5/philippine-house-impeaches-vice-president-sara-duterte

Leon, Dwight de. (2025, February 5). House impeaches Vice President Sara Duterte. RAPPLER. https://www.rappler.com/philippines/house-representatives-impeaches-vice-president-sara-duterte

News, ABS-CBN. (2025, February 5). House impeaches VP Sara Duterte | ABS-CBN News. ABS-CBN. https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/2/5/house-impeaches-vp-sara-duterte-1551