House justice panel wants VP Duterte's removal, perpetual ban from public office

Vice President Sara Duterte should be impeached, perpetually banned from occupying public office, and prosecuted for the impeachable offenses she allegedly committed as the country’s second highest official, the House justice committee said.

The panel made the conclusion of probable cause under Committee Report 261 on Resolution 989 that set forth the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte.

In the 93-page committee report, the House justice committee alleged that the Vice President committed culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, bribery and other high crimes, based on the following articles of impeachment:

a) Systematic misuse, misappropriation, and irregular liquidation of confidential funds amounting to P500 million released to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and P112.5 million released to the Department of Education (DepEd) during her term as Education Secretary;

b) Amassing unexplained wealth manifestly disproportionate to her lawful income and earnings during her incumbency as a public official;

c) Failure to fully and truthfully disclose all her and her spouse's assets, liabilities, and net worth in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net worth (SALNs) for the years 2022, 2023, and 2024;

d) Failure to divest; and instead, willfully continued, all her business interests during her tenure as Vice President for the years 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025;

e) Giving monetary gifts or payments to DepEd officials to induce the violation and circumvention of procurement and other related laws;

f) Contracting the assassination of the President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos, and former Speaker and Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin Romualdez, by making grave threats and by actively inciting sedition against the Republic.

Items a, e and f constitute Article 1, 3 and 4, while items b, c and d are all subsections of Article 2 of the Articles of Impeachment.

“These acts make it glaringly apparent that respondent is utterly unfit to hold public office, much less the second highest position in government. In fact, respondent conducts herself in a way that incites disorder and chaos to the organized government of the Republic of the Philippines,” the committee report read.

“The explicit threats against the life of the President and other high officials, her conduct that undermines and threatens democratic stability, combined with the misuse of confidential funds, acts of bribery and corruption of public officials, and SALN law violations, collectively demonstrate a consistent disregard for the duties of her office and the oath she swore to uphold,” it added.

The House justice committee said Duterte’s actions are not isolated lapses but “interconnected manifestations of a pattern of behavior that erodes public trust and endangers democratic stability.”

It added that the Office of the Vice President, as the second highest office in the land, “demands the highest degree of integrity and restraint.”

“Instead, respondent is shown to have used the authority, platform, and resources of her office in a manner that has generated fear, division, and institutional instability. The evidence on record establishes more than sufficient probable cause to impeach the Vice President,” the committee report said.

The impeachment prosecutors said they intend to present additional witnesses, documents and other evidence as may be necessary or relevant to substantiate all the stated allegations, including the bank accounts and records of Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio.

They may also request the issuance of subpoenas to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of documents and other relevant evidence.

“Wherefore, it is respectfully prayed that after trial, the Senate, sitting as an Impeachment Court, render judgment:

1. Declaring respondent Vice President Sara Z. Duterte guilty on all the articles of impeachment presented;

2. Imposing upon respondent Vice President Sara Z. Duterte the penalty of removal from office as Vice President of the Republic of the Philippines and perpetual disqualification from holding public office under the Republic of the Philippines; and

3. Declaring that respondent Vice President Sara Z. Duterte will further be liable to prosection, trial and punishment, according to law,” the report said.

Among the salient findings of the impeachment hearings that the House justice panel cited in its 93-page report are:

• Detainee Ramil Madriaga’s account of disbursing P125 million worth of confidential funds of the Vice President within 24 hours with cash deliveries in Laguna, Quezon City, and the Office of the Ombudsman;
• Madriaga signing a bank waiver to prove that he has nothing to hide;
• Madriaga alleging that the Vice President’s election campaign may have been financed by Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation which was linked to anomalous government procurement;
• The Commission on Audit (COA)’s revelation that the notice of disallowance on the P73 million confidential fund in 2022 was upheld by the COA commission proper;
• The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) representatives’ testimony on signatures in the acknowledgment receipts of recipients of confidential funds;
• COA’s Gloria Camora, a lawyer of COA’s Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office, confirming that COA also issued three notices of disallowance on three releases of confidential funds for the Office of the Vice President (OVP) in 2023 worth P125 million each or P375 million in total;
• The testimonies of then DepEd Undsersecretary Mercado, DepEd Director IV Resty Osias and DepEd chief accountant Rhunna Catalan during the 2024 House committee on good government and public accountability panel hearings which pinpointed then DepEd Assistant Secretary Sunshine Fajarda as the one who gave them monies in envelopes per the instructions of the Vice President in their capacity as DepEd officials in charge of procurement and financial approvals
• The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) testifying that recipients of confidential funds, such as Mary Grace Piattos, Milky Secuya, and Kokoy Villamin do not have records in the country’s civil registry;
• The Vice President not declaring any cash on hand or in bank under her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth from 2019 to 2024;
• The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) report flagging P6.7 billion worth of bank transactions of the Vice President and her husband, Atty. Manases Carpio, as covered and suspicious transactions from 2006 to 2025, with inflow standing at P4.425 billion and outflow at P1.55 billion;
• The AMLC report revealed that there is a derogatory record for the Vice President and her husband;
• The AMLC report showing that Duterte was the subject of suspicion in 27 confidential reports dated August 2, 2024 to January 29, 2026 due to suspected activities involving drug trafficking and related offenses, graft and corrupt practices, and malversation of public funds and property in connection with the House Quad Committee hearing on former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, news reports alleging the involvement of the Vice President’s husband in the P6.4 billion shabu importation in 2017, and news reports on the Vice President’s alleged misuse of confidential funds;
• The AMLC report showing that her husband as subject of suspicion in 17 confidential reports from September 14, 2017 to April 25, 2025 due to suspected activities involving drug trafficking and related offenses, and malversation of public funds and property “in connection with the news reports on alleged his involvement in the P6.4 billion shabu importation in 2017 and news articles in relation to his wife, VP Sara’s, alleged misuse of confidential/intelligence funds”;
• The AMLC confirmation that at least 18 bank transactions linked to the Vice President and her family members, as cited in the affidavit of former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, match records of covered and suspicious transaction reports; and
• The NBI findings that the video of a press conference showing the Vice President making a threat to kill President Marcos Jr. and his family members in certain circumstances constitutes inciting to sedition and three counts of grave threat, among others.

The Articles of Impeachment has already reached House plenary on Tuesday, May 5, and was included on the House’s Order or Business on May 6, Wednesday, making it eligible for a House plenary vote.

The House plenary vote on the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte is expected to be conducted on May 11.

At least a third or 106 of all the 318 House members need to vote in favor of the Articles of Impeachment for Duterte to be impeached and for the case to proceed to trial before the Senate impeachment court.

On Wednesday, House Deputy Speaker and Antipolo Second District Rep. Ronaldo Puno said at least 30 of the 55 members of the National Unity Party (NUP) are expected to vote in favor of the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte – a number that could push the total “yes” votes to as many as 180. — JMA, GMA News