THE House of Representatives has formally initiated impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte.
With 215 congressmen endorsing the complaint—more than the one-third majority required—the case automatically moves to the Senate for trial. The charges leveled against the Vice President include culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.
The impeachment stems from a House investigation into the questionable use of confidential funds by both the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd).
This investigation revealed significant irregularities in documentation supporting the expenditure of these funds, including flawed acknowledgement receipts and a lack of justification for millions of pesos in spending.
Specifically, the Commission on Audit (COA) disallowed P73 million in OVP confidential funds. The COA cited insufficient documentation for approximately P69 million in reward payments and P3.5 million in purchases of office equipment, lacking evidence that these expenditures were connected to legitimate confidential operations.
This impeachment trial represents the first such case to reach the Senate since the 2012 trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona. The Senate will now assume its role as impeachment court to hear the case against Vice President Duterte.
metrosundaily
