Metro Manila, Philippines – Sara Duterte could become the country’s first vice president to face an impeachment trial before the Senate, possibly answering several complaints and probes on her misuse of confidential funds and death threats against the president.
Calls for a probe on Duterte began after the revelation of her office’s anomalous ₱125-million secret fund spending in 2023.
Almost a year later, the majority of the House of Representatives’ members agreed to impeach Duterte. While the Senate did convene as an impeachment court, it only ruled to send back the charge list to the lower chamber.
NewsWatch Plus compiles the key events from the tangled issues of Duterte’s historic impeachment case as it continues to unravel.
July 3, 2023
The Commission on Audit (COA) released its records covering the 2022 budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP), showing that Duterte’s office spent ₱125 million on confidential funds in 19 days.
September 25, 2023
During a House plenary session discussing the national budget for 2024, COA corrected its initial report and said that the ₱125 million confidential funds spent by the OVP was disbursed only in 11 days.
October 10, 2023
The House announced that it will block the confidential fund requests of Duterte’s two offices for the 2024 national budget. This move cut ₱500 million from the OVP and ₱150 million from the Department of Education’s (DepEd) allocations.
November 16, 2023
Rumors of an impeachment plot against Duterte started to surface. Then ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro confirmed that she has heard of informal talks in the House about the possible impeachment.
June 19, 2024
Duterte resigned from the Marcos administration’s cabinet, stepping down as education secretary. She did not reveal the reason behind her decision.
July 11, 2024
Duterte faced public criticism after declaring herself as “designated survivor” when she explained why she would skip President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s third State of the Nation Address.
August 21, 2024
Rumors of an impeachment plan against Duterte resurfaced as deliberations for the 2025 national budget began. House leaders denied these claims, noting that an impeachment is a “waste of time” and would be “counterproductive” to the Congress’ priorities.
August 27, 2024
Duterte attended the House deliberations for the OVP’s proposed budget for 2025. Discussions heated up as the vice president refused to answer questions on the ₱125-million secret funds she spent from her office’s 2022 budget.
September 3, 2024
During a House plenary session, Manila 2nd District Rep. Rolando Valeriano slammed Duterte’s unwillingness to answer questions on the OVP’s anomalous spending.
September 10, 2024
Duterte snubbed the second House appropriations panel discussions for the OVP’s 2025 budget. Instead, the vice president released a video statement claiming that House Speaker Martin Romualdez and House appropriations committee chair and Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co “controlled” the budget allocations.
September 18, 2024
The House committee on good government and public accountability launched a probe on Duterte’s alleged misuse of OVP and DepEd funds. The Vice President attended the session but refused to take oath and accused House lawmakers of using the probe for an alleged impeachment plot.
September 23, 2024
Duterte skipped House deliberations on the OVP’s 2025 budget anew. The lower chamber moved to slash the office’s budget to only ₱733 million from its original ₱2 billion.
September 25, 2024
On the last day of budget deliberations, the House approved the slashed OVP funds for 2025 as Duterte was still a no show.
October 18, 2024
In a press briefing, Duterte revealed that she once told presidential sister Sen. Imee Marcos that she would exhume the grave of her father — the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos Sr. — and throw the body to the West Philippine Sea if supposed “political attacks” against her did not stop.
Duterte also admitted that she daydreams of beheading the incumbent president.
November 23, 2024
During a sudden late night briefing, Duterte admitted that she ordered a hit against Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and Romualdez if she is murdered.
This prompted an alert at the Palace. Security officials called Duterte’s statement an active threat against the president.
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