De Lima: Fund misuse, threats among grounds for impeaching VP Duterte
Vice President Sara Duterte attends the House probe into the Office of the Vice President and Department of Education’s confidential funds in this file photo taken on Nov. 25, 2024. INQUIRER.net / NOY MORCOSO
MANILA, Philippines — Allegations of confidential fund (CF) misuse and threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. are among the issues cited in the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.
Former Senator Leila de Lima bared this during a briefing on Monday.
De Lima said there are 24 articles of impeachment in the complaint filed by civil society groups before the House of Representatives.
“Among the articles are the misuse, the failure to account, the intel and confidential funds of both the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and also of the Department of Education (DepEd),” de Lima told reporters.
“Also included are other grounds like her threats, her rants during the press conference on October 18 and the second one in November 2024 because these are very unbecoming and these are actually betrayal of public trust [and] because these are also high crimes. These are about her threats during her latest rants, or her meltdown,” she explained.
Article continues after this advertisementThe CF issues that de Lima was referring to are the admissions of the OVP and DepEd special disbursing officers that they left the disbursement of secret funds to security officers during the hearing of the House committee on good government and public accountability.
Article continues after this advertisementREAD: Solon: SDO’s move to give up fund release role may lead to malversation
In an online press briefing last November 23, the Vice President said she talked to someone about killing the President, first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez in case she gets assassinated.
READ: Sara Duterte’s kill remark vs Marcos is ‘active threat’ – Palace
De Lima also said Duterte’s alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings, supposedly carried out by police officers and vigilante groups in Davao City while she was mayor, is part of the complaint.
“Another article is the respondent left DepEd with nearly P7 billion in unliquidated cash advances,” de Lima added. “And then there’s the rigged bidding of laptops and other electronic devices during [the] respondent’s time as DepEd Secretary.”
READ: House panel to probe P8-B DepEd laptop deal
READ: Alleged ‘envelopes’ from Duterte may have aimed to influence ex-DepEd Usec
Duterte’s supposed role in coddling Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, who went into hiding amid child abuse and trafficking cases, was also cited.
De Lima accompanied civil society representatives in filing the first impeachment complaint against Duterte, but the former senator clarified that she is not among the complainants.
She said the following individuals affixed their signatures as complainants:
- Former presidential peace adviser Ging Deles
- Catholic priest Flavie Villanueva
- Former Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano
- Urban poor group representative Alice Murphy
- Professor Francis Joseph Dee
- Eugene Louie Gonzales
- Catholic priest Robert Reyes
- Dr. Sylvia Estrada-Claudio
- Leah Lopez Navarro
- Rowena Amon
- Randy Francisco delos Santos (uncle of Kian delos Santos)
- Filomena Cinco
- Teddy Lopez
- Sr. Susan Santos Esmile SFIC
- Sr. Mary Grace de Guzman
- Ma. Yvonne Christina Jereza
READ: First impeachment complaint vs VP Sara filed at House
The complaint was endorsed by Akbayan party-list Rep. Percival Cendaña and was received by House Secretary General Reginald Velasco.
