MANILA, Philippines – Various advocacy groups on Monday, December 2, formally filed the first impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte. 

The complaint was filed by religious leaders, sectoral representatives as well as families of victims of extrajudicial killings at the Secretary General’s Office at the House of Representatives before 3 pm today as endorsed by Akbayan Party-list Rep. Perci Cendaña. 

Among the complainants were: 

1. Teresita Quintos Deles, 
2. Fr. Flaviano Villanueva, 
3. Fr. Robert Reyes, 
4. Randy Delos Santos (uncle of Tokhang victim Kian Delos Santos), 
5. Francis Aquino Dee, 
6. Leah Navarro, 
7. Sylvia Estrada Claudio, 
8. Alicia Murphy, Sr. Mary Grace De Guzman,
9. Former Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano

“Today, I formally endorse the first-ever and historic impeachment complaint filed by our citizens against Vice President Sara Duterte. This moment marks a critical juncture in our nation’s demand for accountability,” Cerdaña said in a statement handed out to members of the media right before the filing. 

The groups were accompanied by Mamamayang Liberal partylist first nominee and former senator Leila De Lima who acted as their spokesperson, former presidential peace adviser Ging Deles, Catholic priests Robert Reyes and Flavie Villanueva, and members of the Magdalo group.

In an interview, Cendaña said that betrayal of public trust, culpable violations of the Constitution, and other high crimes were among the grounds for impeachment. 

“I stand in full support of the brave citizens calling for Duterte to answer for her blatant violations of the Constitution, egregious corruption, and complicity in mass murder,” he said. 

Duterte has been hogging the headlines in the recent weeks for being front and center to congressional hearings over alleged anomalous disbursements and utilization of the confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) as well as the Department of Education (DepEd) during her stint as secretary. 

Last October, the House Appropriations panel slashed the budget of the OVP by 1.3 billion bringing it down to 733.1 million from the proposed 2.03 billion after she failed to explain how the confidential funds of both offices were utilized. 

Lawmakers have called on the Vice President to explain the alleged discrepancies and irregularities of the confidential funds herself but Duterte repeatedly refused to face House scrutiny. 

In the hearings of the House committee on good government and public accountability, lawmakers discovered allegedly anomalous acknowledgement receipts (acknowledgement receipts) of the OVP and the DepEd concerning their confidential fund use. 

Members of the committee cited as examples the names Mary Grace Piattos and Kokoy Villamin as among the dubious recipients signed in the ARs prompting some lawmakers to raise money for whoever can provide any authentication as to the existence of the said individuals. 

Another revelation in the hearing was that Special Disbursing Officers of both the OVP and the DepEd disbursed their confidential funds to their security officers – an act regarded by 1-Rider party-list Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez to be a possible technical malversation. 

Duterte’s biggest controversy yet so far is sealing an agreement with an anonymous assassin to have  President Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos and House Speaker Martin Romualdez murdered in the event she gets killed first. 

The Vice President’s threat was actioned immediately by the Department of Justice and the National Bureau of Investigation who, last Friday, invited her for questioning. Duterte however did not show up reasoning the purported House hearing as conflict to the NBI invitation. 

Duterte is set to appear at the NBI headquarters in Pasay City on December 11.