MANILA — A legal challenge seeking the removal from office of Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte was initiated on Monday. This action follows accusations of issuing death threats against the President and alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings of drug suspects, corruption, and a failure to oppose Chinese aggression in the contested South China Sea.
Filed by several prominent civil society activists in the House of Representatives, the impeachment alleges constitutional violations, betrayal of public trust, and other serious offenses, including the death threats against the President, his wife, and the House Speaker.
Duterte has yet to publicly respond to the impeachment attempt, which lists approximately two dozen alleged offenses.
“We hope this complaint will end the suffering our Vice President has inflicted on the people,” stated Rep. Percival Cendana, who formally endorsed the complaint.
The Vice President’s threats, according to the complaint, demonstrate “the extent of the respondent’s mental incapacity, her depravity, and her unsuitability to continue holding the high office of Vice President of the Philippines.” The document further asserts that these actions constitute “not only betrayal of public trust but also a high crime warranting immediate impeachment.”
Duterte, a 46-year-old lawyer, also faces accusations of unexplained wealth and of allowing the continuation of extrajudicial killings of drug suspects that began under her father, the former mayor of Davao City, during her time in that office.
These legal challenges coincide with Duterte’s escalating political conflict with President Marcos and his allies. In an online news conference on November 23, she claimed to have hired an assassin to kill Marcos, his wife, and Speaker Martin Romualdez should she be killed—a statement she later clarified as an expression of concern for her own safety, not a direct threat.
The impeachment complaint will be reviewed by the Philippine Congress, largely composed of allies of Marcos and his cousin, Romualdez, who also has a strained relationship with the Vice President.
The process may take weeks or months. Congress is scheduled to begin its Christmas recess on December 20 and resume on January 13, with many legislators soon focusing on reelection campaigns ahead of the May 12 midterm elections.
The House is investigating the alleged misuse of 612.5 million pesos ($10.3 million) in confidential and intelligence funds received by Duterte’s offices as Vice President and education secretary (a position she has since left).
She has declined to fully answer questions during tense televised hearings and strongly objected when her chief of staff, Zuleika Lopez, was temporarily detained for allegedly obstructing the inquiry. Lopez has since been released from hospital detention.
Philippine police have filed criminal charges against Duterte and her security detail for alleged assault on authorities and insubordination during a confrontation in Congress related to Lopez’s detention.
Duterte has accused Marcos, his wife, and Romualdez of corruption, weak leadership, and attempting to silence her amid speculation of a potential presidential bid in 2028.
The National Bureau of Investigation has issued a subpoena for Duterte to answer questions about her threats.
Following the threats, the police, military, and national security adviser immediately increased security for the Marcos family.
The President has stated that impeaching Duterte would be a waste of time given the country’s other challenges, but her opponents maintain their commitment to accountability and upholding the rule of law.
Marcos and Duterte, who won landslide victories as running mates in the 2022 election, have since become political adversaries due to significant policy disagreements. The Philippines’ separate elections for the President and Vice President have led to rivals occupying the country’s highest offices.
Marcos and Duterte disagree on how to handle China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea and on the deadly anti-drug campaign conducted by Duterte’s father, Rodrigo Duterte, the previous President and former mayor of Davao.
The impeachment complainants, including former military officers from a group called Magdalo, accuse her of failing to condemn aggressive Chinese actions against Philippine forces in the South China Sea. The complainants did not explicitly name China.
The brutal drug crackdown resulted in the deaths of thousands, mostly poor suspects, killed largely by police, an event currently under investigation as a potential crime against humanity.
The impeachment complaint cites a key witness to the killings, former police officer Arturo Lascanas, who alleges that Sara Duterte allowed the extrajudicial killings of drug suspects to continue in Davao City when she served as mayor. The drug crackdown was initiated by her father when he was mayor.
—Associated Press journalists Aaron Favila and Joeal Calupitan contributed to this report.