Catholic Clergy File Third Impeachment Complaint Against Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte

Philippines. Members of the Catholic clergy in the Philippines filed an impeachment complaint on Monday against Vice President Sara Duterte. This is the third such case filed in just over a week. The complainants stated that this move is linked to moral concerns rather than politics.

An impeachment process was previously initiated against Sara Duterte, daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, by the House of Representatives last year, but the Supreme Court dismissed the case due to procedural errors. According to the Philippine Constitution, if an impeachment process moves forward, the case is ultimately tried in the Senate, and if found guilty, the Vice President will be removed from office and banned from politics, which would also make a potential presidential bid in 2028 impossible.

The latest complaint, filed on Monday, accuses Duterte of improperly billing taxpayers at least $10 million USD while serving as Vice President and Secretary of Education. One of the complainants, Catholic priest Reverend Joselito Sarabia, told reporters outside the congressional complex that they are not politicians and the case is entirely related to moral concerns. He also noted that it is time for Duterte to answer all the allegations leveled against her.

The complaint also includes references to alleged death threats made by Duterte against President Ferdinand Marcos during a late-night press conference, although Duterte has maintained that the statement was misinterpreted. Representative Leila de Lima, who supports the complaint, described it as an "improved version" of previously filed articles of impeachment and expressed confidence that it would move forward for a vote in the House.

De Lima herself spent over six years in jail on drug-related charges, which human rights groups have called politically motivated cases during the term of Rodrigo Duterte, Sara Duterte's father. Last week, leaders of Philippine civil society and members of a leftist coalition also filed a separate impeachment complaint against Duterte.

Previously, the House Justice Committee dismissed two impeachment complaints filed against President Marcos, stating they lacked sufficient grounds. Analysts suggest that the chances of an impeachment against President Marcos succeeding are slim, as he enjoys the support of the majority of lawmakers in the House.

Although Marcos and Duterte won a landslide victory together in the 2022 presidential election, they became embroiled in a high-level political dispute just weeks later. Supporters of Duterte have widely expressed their belief that President Marcos assisted in the arrest and transfer of former President Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands, where he faces trial over allegations of killings during the brutal war on drugs campaign.