New impeachment cases filed against Philippine VP Sara Duterte allege fund misuse and an assassination threat, reviving a stalled political process.
MANILA: New impeachment complaints have been filed against Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte.
Civil society leaders and a left-wing coalition submitted the cases on Monday, restarting a process previously sidelined by the Supreme Court.
Both complaints accuse Duterte of misusing public funds during her tenure as education secretary.
One complaint also revives allegations that she threatened to assassinate former ally President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The filings coincide with the start of House committee hearings on separate impeachment complaints against President Marcos.
These accuse him of corruption linked to fraudulent flood control projects.
Under the constitution, a House impeachment triggers a Senate trial, with a guilty verdict leading to expulsion and a lifetime political ban.
Duterte, daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte, is seen as a potential 2028 presidential candidate.
“It’s about time that VP Sara must be held accountable,” said Representative Leila de Lima, who endorsed one complaint.
“The complaint basically … raises the same grounds as the previous complaint, just much condensed and streamlined.”
Central to the new complaints are allegations concerning approximately $10 million in unexplained spending from her time as education secretary.
The House successfully impeached Duterte on similar charges last year.
That earlier complaint also alleged she made an assassination threat against the president, which she denied.
A subsequent Senate trial was aborted and the case was returned to the House on constitutional grounds.
The Supreme Court later ruled that impeachment violated a rule against multiple annual complaints.
The court upheld that ruling last week.
Duterte’s lawyers stated they are confident the accusations will be proven baseless.
President Marcos faces separate impeachment complaints over alleged multi-billion dollar fraud in bogus flood control projects.
Public anger over these “ghost” infrastructure projects has grown for months.
The House justice committee began hearings on the Marcos complaints on Monday.
Outside, about 100 protesters from the left-wing Makabayan bloc demonstrated, calling for both leaders’ ouster.
“We are protesting … to remind the lawmakers that their loyalty should be to the people, not to their political patron, not to their political dynasty, not to the president,” protester Raymond Palatino told AFP.
