Fourth impeachment complaint filed against Philippine V-P Sara Duterte

MANILA - Philippine Vice-President and

freshly declared presidential candidate Sara Duterte

is facing a fourth impeachment case against her, documents seen by AFP on Feb 19 show.

The complaint, which accuses her of misusing public funds and cites “disturbing” allegations of undeclared wealth, was filed on Feb 18, hours after she had thrown her hat into the ring for the 2028 election.

The

daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte was impeached

by the House of Representatives in 2025, only to see the country’s Supreme Court throw the case out over procedural issues.

Under the Philippine Constitution, an impeachment triggers a Senate trial. A guilty verdict would see Ms Duterte barred from politics and her presidential hopes permanently derailed.

“This is about constitutional accountability... any undeclared asset or unexplained wealth is a grave issue,” said La Union Representative Paolo Ortega, one of two lawmakers to endorse the complaint.

As with previous impeachment cases filed against the Vice-President in 2026, the new complaint leans heavily on allegations of graft and corruption.

A complaint filed on Feb 9 accused her of bilking taxpayers of at least US$10 million (S$12.7 million) while serving as vice-president and secretary of education.

Representative Leila de Lima, one of that filing’s endorsers, called it “an improved version” of the complaint tossed out by the Supreme Court in 2025.

Ms Duterte on Feb 18 announced plans to run for president in 2028, calling out President Ferdinand Marcos Jr for failing to live up to his campaign promises.

The two former allies have been engaged in a high-stakes political brawl that erupted within weeks of their 2022 presidential election win, when Ms Duterte was denied her favoured Cabinet portfolios and instead named education secretary.

Two analysts who spoke with AFP suggested that the announcement of her candidacy was aimed at keeping allies in line by underscoring the possibility of her faction’s return to power. AFP