Fourth impeach rap filed vs. VP Sara Duterte

Lawyer Nathaniel Cabrera on Wednesday night filed the fourth impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte – hours after she declared her plans to run for President in the 2028 elections.

The complaint accused her of alleged betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution.

This was mainly over the alleged misuse of P612.5 million of confidential funds and the Vice President's alleged threat to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his immediate family. 

“The combination of admitted intent to employ lethal violence against constitutional officers, the misuse of security apparatus, and the diversion of public funds creates a real and present risk to the orderly functioning of government and to the safety of public officials. This Honorable House of Representatives must act to avert further institutional harm,” the complaint read.

It added that the public nature of Duterte’s admissions and the specificity of the instructions – as well as Duterte’s position as Vice President with access to security personnel and networks – make the statements “not mere rhetorical excess but a concrete manifestation of intent and capability that threatens the constitutional order.”

“A public official who manifests an intent to remove constitutional officers by violent, extraconstitutional means demonstrates a willful subversion of the constitutional order and the oath of office,” the complaint added.

The complaint was received by House Secretary General Cheloy Garafil before 7 pm on Wednesday night.

It was endorsed by House Deputy Speaker and La Union 1st District Rep. Paolo Ortega V and House human rights panel chairperson and Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante. 

Defense

In a statement, Duterte's defense team said the complaints cannot turn allegations into truth.

It said it has been informed about the filing of the fourth complaint.

"The successive filing of complaints does not, by mere repetition, transform allegations into truth," it said.

"As with the previous complaints, we will address the allegations fully and at the proper time, in accordance with the Constitution and applicable rules," it added.

Articles of Impeachment

Specifically, the fourth impeachment complaint cited seven Articles of Impeachment, namely:

• Culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes, by publicly admitting the contracting of an assassin and by repeatedly making statements and taking actions that manifest a willful intent to subvert constitutional order, to incite or condone violence against constitutionally vested officials, and to destabilize the lawful functioning of government
   
• Betrayal of the public trust and committing acts of graft and corruption by grossly abusing discretionary authority over confidential funds appropriated to the OVP and DepEd, by causing or permitting the fabrication and submission of implausible liquidation documents, by directing the physical transfer and distribution of large cash sums outside lawful accounting channels, and by obstructing audit and congressional oversight
   
• Committing graft and corrupt practices under R.A. No. 3019 thru  bribery and procurement-related corruption
   
• Engaging in or causing acts amounting to bribery and procurement-related corruption in connection with the DepEd while exercising authority over that agency as part of a broader scheme to divert public funds and to secure improper advantages for private persons and political allies
   
• Engaging in conduct indicative of unexplained wealth and material nondisclosure in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Networth
   
• Committing other high crimes and engaging in a sustained pattern of abuse of power that includes public threats, incitement to violence, efforts to undermine civilian supremacy over the armed forces and law enforcement, and repeated interference with constitutionally mandated oversight mechanisms
   
• The cumulative allegations set forth in Articles 1 to 6 that demonstrates that the Vice President engaged in a sustained pattern of abuse of office, deliberate evasion of oversight, and serial breaches of fiduciary duty that, in aggregate, render her unfit to continue in the high office of Vice President

“The factual allegations across Articles 1 to 6 reveal a recurrent modus operandi consisting of rapid encashment and physical distribution of confidential funds, use of security personnel and intermediaries to effectuate off-book transfers; fabrication or submission of defective liquidation documents; and obstruction of COA and congressional oversight,” the complaint read.

“Each of these elements reinforces the others and together demonstrate a deliberate strategy to convert public resources into private or partisan advantage while evading accountability,” the complaint added. — LDF/JMA, GMA Integrated News