By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
With calls for accountability from the citizenry at an all-time high, lawmakers set aside partisanship and political differences in casting their votes on the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte.
This is reflected in the 257-25-9 tally, which reflects a strong approval from various political figures to hold the country’s second-highest official liable for her misdeeds, especially during her time as the Education Secretary.
Presiding officer Senior Deputy Speaker Ferdinand Hernandez announced after the nominal voting, “With 257 members voting in the affirmative, 25 against, and nine abstentions, House Resolution No. 989, together with the findings, conclusions, and recommendations contained in Committee Report No. 261, is hereby adopted.”
Altogether, these votes represent more than one-third of all House members, thus elevating the impeachment case against Duterte to the Senate for trial, with senators expected to convene as an impeachment court.
It marked the second time the House voted to impeach VP Duterte, following the first impeachment complaint endorsed and transmitted by the chamber last year.
Heaps of legal trouble
The second-highest official of the country faces a list of allegations, including the alleged misuse of confidential funds, graft and corruption, unexplained wealth, and threats lashed out against the First Couple and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Earlier, the House Committee on Justice voted unanimously 53-0 in finding probable cause to impeach VP Duterte. With a 55-0 tally, the Committee likewise unanimously approved the report and articles of impeachment for plenary consideration.
Article I outlines the misuse, misappropriation, and irregular liquidation of P612.5 million in confidential funds under the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd), which was flagged by the Commission on Audit (COA) and underwent thorough scrutiny from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Article II bares the discrepancies in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) and continued business interests that prop up her declared net worth from P7.2 million in 2007 to P88.5 million in 2024, on top of AMLC’s financial records on Duterte and her spouse, Atty. Manases Carpio.
Circling back to her tenure as DepEd’s top official, Article III cites allegations of bribery and cash payments to DepEd officials, which include cash envelopes reportedly received by Gloria Jumamil-Mercado, Resty Osias, and Runna Catalan.
Article IV cites her November 2024 video press conference, where she badmouthed the Marcoses and even said she had contracted an assassin to harm the First Couple and the former House Speaker, as evidence for grave threats and inciting to sedition. (with report from Vel Custodio | PTV News)
jpv
