By Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio, A reporter
THE ORGANIZATION that represents the Parliament started the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio on Monday as it forwarded four complaints against her to the committee tasked to consider whether the allegations are frivolous and should proceed to a full trial.
Four separate complaints filed by civil society organizations and activists allege that Ms. Duterte misappropriated P612.5 million of secret and intelligence funds allocated to her office and the Department of Education during her tenure as secretary from 2022 to 2024.
The campaign to impeach Ms. President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. is limited to one six-year term and has yet to name a clear successor amid political disagreements with the Dutertes.
The House Judiciary Committee, dominated by allies of Mr. Marcos, will decide whether the allegations against the 47-year-old lawmaker meet the threshold to go to the floor of the House, where one-third of lawmakers must vote to approve the complaints and send them to the Senate for trial – where Ms. Duterte risks permanent ban from office – or dismiss the charges.
Referring complaints to the committee also prevents other parties from filing separate charges and prevents the Vice President from facing another impeachment bid within the same calendar year.
Ms. Duterte was impeached in February 2025 with the approval of 200 congressmen, which allowed the chamber to send the charges directly to the Senate for trial. The impeachment petition, however, died in the Senate after it filed complaints, accusing him of misappropriation of funds, unexplained wealth, attempts to overthrow, and a conspiracy to kill President Marcos, his wife and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez. He denied all charges.
“It would be better for the complaints to lead the committee,” Deputy Speaker and La Union Representative Francisco Paolo P. Ortega V told reporters before the referral of the complaints. “Even the impeachment of the President was over there.”
Mr. Marcos survived his impeachment trial, which accused him of corruption, violation of the Constitution, and betrayal of public trust, after the Judiciary committee dismissed the allegations as unjustified. The committee also decided that these allegations should not be discussed further.
Dismissed complaints Mr. Marcos benefited from questionable government contracts linked to flawed infrastructure projects, receiving payoffs and institutionalized corruption through the congressional district budget allocation formula.
Additional allegations include his alleged involvement in authorizing the arrest of former President Rodrigo R. Duterte for trial at the International Court of Justice and the President’s drug use claims.
Lawmakers are now more politically sensitive to Ms. Duterte’s impeachment proceedings, and it remains to be seen whether they will apply the same strict limits used in the Marcos case, said Ederson DT. Tapia, a professor of political science at the University of Makati.
“A lot will depend on the strength of the complaints filed and the current political situation,” he said in a Facebook Messenger chat. “If public pressure mounts, the interpretation may change.”
“We are all political animals at the end of the day,” said Mr Ortega, who sponsored a fourth impeachment against Ms Duterte. “See [the committee] will consider the merits of the impeachment case.”
The fourth complaint alleged that the Vice President failed to fully disclose assets in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth and may have amassed wealth disproportionate to his official salary.
The lawsuit calls for a judicial review of bank records, property transfers, and other financial documents to determine whether government funds were converted into private property and whether his declared net worth accurately reflects his financial situation.
