Metro Manila, Philippines – Vice President Sara Duterte is facing accusations of misusing public funds, amassing unexplained and ill-gotten wealth, bribing procurement officials, and plotting to kill the president, in an attempt to remove her from office for the second time.
These allegations are detailed in the Articles of Impeachment recommended by the House committee on justice, which seeks Duterte’s removal and perpetual disqualification from public office.
The House of Representatives is expected to vote on whether to impeach Duterte on Monday, May 11. A vote from at least one-third of the chamber, or 106 lawmakers, would transmit the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate for trial.
The House, under the 19th Congress, already impeached Duterte last year on similar grounds, but legal and constitutional questions delayed the convening of the Senate impeachment court until the Supreme Court declared the complaint unconstitutional.
New complaints were later filed following the lapse of the one-year constitutional ban, including two that became the basis for the current Articles of Impeachment.
Duterte has denied the allegations, although her camp said she would respond in detail only in the proper forum, such as a Senate impeachment trial.
Here is a closer look at the charges and evidence cited against Duterte.
ARTICLE 1: Alleged misuse of confidential funds
The House committee on justice found that Duterte committed “systematic misuse, misappropriation, and irregular liquidation” of confidential funds amounting to ₱500 million under the Office of the Vice President, as well as ₱112.5 million under the Department of Education, an agency she headed when she was still allies with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The Articles state that these acts constitute culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and betrayal of public trust.
Documents cited in the complaint detailed how the funds were allegedly spent. Among them was a ₱16-million transaction flagged by the Commission on Audit (COA) for “safe house rentals” in 2022, with some rental arrangements reportedly costing as much as ₱250,000 per day.
“Rates comparable to, and even exceeding, that of some luxury resorts and five-star hotel accommodations-raising serious questions on necessity, reasonableness, and purpose relative to confidential fund standards,” the Articles stated.
The COA has since issued a final Notice of Disallowance ordering the return of ₱73.3 million in OVP confidential funds for 2022.
The National Bureau of Investigation also found that a number of acknowledgment receipts submitted by the OVP and DepEd for liquidation appeared fabricated.
“Handwriting analysis revealed that, out of 36 receipts examined, multiple documents bore identical handwriting characteristics consistent with preparation by a limited number of individuals, undermining the claimed authenticity of the supporting liquidation documents,” the Articles said.
The Philippine Statistics Authority also certified that 398 names listed in DepEd acknowledgment receipts and 1,287 names listed in OVP receipts do not exist in official registry records. Among them was the infamous “Mary Grace Piattos.”
Lawmakers also cited the testimony of Ramil Madriaga, who claimed to be a close aide and bagman of Duterte, alleging that the confidential funds were disbursed in less than 24 hours.
ARTICLE 2: Alleged unexplained and ill-gotten wealth
The second article accuses Duterte of culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust in relation to her alleged unexplained wealth.
The allegations are:
- amassing wealth allegedly disproportionate to her lawful income as a public official;
- failing to fully and truthfully disclose the assets of both herself and her husband, Mans Carpio, in her statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN); and
- maintaining business interests while serving as Vice President.
The committee noted that Duterte and her husband’s net worth ballooned from ₱7.25 million in 2007, when she first held public office as Davao vice mayor, to ₱88.5 million in 2024 while serving as vice president. The Articles said her accumulated government salary over the same period was only around ₱30 million.
Lawmakers also cited what they described as a “staggering disparity” between Duterte’s declared SALNs and some ₱6.7 billion in bank deposits allegedly linked to Duterte and her husband based on records from the Anti-Money Laundering Council.
“While respondent filed her SALNs for the periods during which she served as a public officer, her declarations were grossly inaccurate and misrepresented the true amount of her and her spouse’s net worth, assets, and cash on hand/cash in bank,” the Articles stated.
The complaint also cited Securities and Exchange Commission records showing Duterte remained an incorporator, director, and minority shareholder of Metro City Chow Foods Corporation from 2022 to 2025 while serving as vice president.
The Constitution bars the president, vice president, and Cabinet members from holding any other office or employment during their tenure.
ARTICLE 3: Alleged bribery of procurement officials
The third article centers on testimonies from former education officials, including former Undersecretary for Human Resource and Organizational Development Gloria Jumamil-Mercado.
Mercado said Assistant Secretary Sunshine Fajarda handed her nine envelopes with ₱50,000 each, allegedly on behalf of Duterte.
“The circumstances under which the envelopes were given indicate that they were intended to influence her decision as HOPE [Head of Procuring Entity], as the official responsible for approving all the decisions of the Bids and Awards Committee on behalf of the DepEd secretary,” the Articles stated.
Mercado also said that after refusing requests from Assistant Secretary Reynold Munsayac, a close associate of Duterte, to disregard procurement rules, she was urged by then-Vice Presidential Chief of Staff Zuleika Lopez to resign.
DepEd Director Resty Osias also allegedly received four envelopes with ₱12,000 to ₱15,000 each, while DepEd chief accountant Rhunna Catalan supposedly got nine envelopes worth ₱25,000 each.
The Articles argue that these acts constitute corruption of public officials and direct bribery, amounting to betrayal of public trust which is a ground for impeachment.
ARTICLE 4: Alleged assassination plot
A number of lawmakers described the fourth article as the most obvious and easiest to prove. It centers on Duterte’s statements during an online media briefing in November 2024, where she said she had hired an assassin to murder Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos and cousin former Speaker Martin Romualdez — if she herself gets killed.
“The NBI confirmed that threats— direct or indirect-against the life of the President are treated with the highest degree of urgency by law enforcement agencies, and are, at all times, considered matters of the gravest national concern,” the articles stated.
“The fact that respondent contracted an assassin no longer requires further proof, as it is already an established matter in light of her own public admissions,” it added.
The complaint further stated that Duterte’s statements and actions against the Marcos administration — including remarks that she wanted the president’s head — constitute political destabilization, sedition, and insurrection.
“The explicit threats against the life of the President and other high officials, her conduct that undermines and threatens democratic stability, combined with the misuse of confidential funds, acts of bribery and corruption of public officials, and SALN Law violations, collectively demonstrate a consistent disregard for the duties of her office and the oath she swore to uphold,” the Articles stated.
