Makabayan lawmakers Rep. Renee Co and Rep. Antonio Tinio on Monday, 2 March, urged the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, arguing that she should be removed from office on the ground of betrayal of public trust.
During their sponsorship speech on the impeachment complaint before the House Committee on Justice, the two cited what they described as Duterte’s alleged gross abuse of discretionary authority over P612 million in confidential funds.
They also pointed to allegations of gross disregard for transparency and accountability, claiming she ordered subordinates to fabricate documents, reports and receipts, as well as alleged dereliction of official duty for refusing to recognize congressional oversight during budget deliberations.
“Public office is a public trust. At kapag ang tiwalang ‘yan ay nilapastangan, kapag ang kaban ng bayan ay ginawang personal na piggy bank—wala nang ibang nararapat na hatol kundi pagpapatalsik. Kaya dapat siyang ma-impeach,” ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio stated.
For her part, Co said the impeachment “has been long overdue.”
“Matagal nang hinahanap ng taong bayan ang pananagutan ni VP Sara Duterte…Malinaw ang panawagan ng taong bayan,” she added.
Other impeachment complaints against Duterte similarly contain allegations of misuse of confidential funds and other possible violations of the 1987 Constitution.
In a previous committee hearing, impeachment complaints against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. were dismissed for lack of sufficient substance.
Michael Poa, spokesperson for Duterte’s defense team, told AFP they were closely monitoring the deliberations and trusted “the same standards” used in the Marcos hearing.