MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte is facing an unprecedented four impeachment complaints filed within a single month, with the latest submitted just hours after she formally announced her candidacy for the 2028 presidential race — deepening what has become one of the most turbulent political feuds in recent Philippine history.
The fourth and most recent complaint was filed on February 18 by lawyer Nathaniel Cabrera and endorsed by House Deputy Speaker Francisco Paolo Ortega V and Manila 6th District Representative Bienvenido Abante Jr. At its core are allegations that Duterte failed to fully disclose her assets in her Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs), and may have amassed wealth disproportionate to her lawful income. The complaint also reiterates earlier accusations that Duterte publicly admitted to having "asked a person" to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
"This is about constitutional accountability," Ortega said in a statement following the filing.
The complaint was formally received at 6:34 p.m. by House Secretary General Cheloy Garafil. Among the evidence cited are sworn affidavits from Duterte's alleged bagman Ramil Madriaga, official liquidation reports from the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, Commission on Audit notices of disallowance, and Philippine Statistics Authority certifications on purported payees.
A Cascade of Complaints
The wave of impeachment filings began on February 2, when members of the Makabayan Coalition filed the first petition in this new round of attempts, alleging Duterte's gross abuse of discretionary powers over P612.5 million in confidential funds, failure to maintain transparency and accountability, and fabrication of liquidation reports. Hours later, a separate group of civil society organizations filed a second complaint along similar lines.
A third complaint was filed on February 9 by a coalition of clergy members and lawyers from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines — many of whom were also signatories to one of the previous complaints voided by the Supreme Court in 2025. Their petition cited alleged culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, and high crimes related to the misuse of over P500 million in confidential funds during Duterte's tenure as OVP head and as DepEd Secretary. Rep. Leila de Lima of Mamamayang Liberal endorsed the complaint.
The Constitutional and Legal Backdrop
This new wave of impeachment attempts comes after a protracted legal battle. In July 2025, the Supreme Court unanimously struck down the original impeachment articles transmitted by the House in February 2025, ruling them unconstitutional on the grounds that the one-year bar rule had been triggered. The High Tribunal clarified that new complaints could only be filed starting February 6, 2026.
On January 28, 2026, the Supreme Court denied with finality the House's motion for reconsideration, also redefining "session days" as calendar days on which the House holds sessions — a clarification with significant procedural implications for how quickly the impeachment process can move.
Duterte's defense lawyer Michael Poa maintained a measured tone. "We are prepared to confront these allegations squarely through the proper constitutional processes, confident that a fair and impartial review will demonstrate that the accusations are devoid of both factual and legal basis," he said in a statement following the early February filings.
The Marcos-Duterte Feud Escalates
The timing of the complaints is inseparable from the bitter political rupture between Duterte and the Marcos administration. The two had been unlikely allies heading into the 2022 elections, but their relationship collapsed in the years that followed — culminating in March 2025 when President Marcos allowed the Philippine National Police to arrest former President Rodrigo Duterte on an International Criminal Court warrant. The elder Duterte is now in The Hague awaiting trial on charges of crimes against humanity linked to his administration's drug war.
In her candidacy announcement on February 17, Sara Duterte did not hide her grievances. She accused the Marcos administration of "destroying my name for a long time" and asked her supporters for forgiveness for her previous support of Marcos in 2022.
Political analysts note that the flood of impeachment complaints, while reflecting genuine public accountability concerns, also carries unmistakable political undertones ahead of the 2028 election cycle. With the House of Representatives largely aligned with the Marcos administration, the trajectory of the complaints through the Committee on Justice will be closely watched.
Whether the Senate — which requires a two-thirds supermajority of 16 out of 24 votes for a conviction — would act decisively remains an open question, given the chamber's reluctance to move swiftly during the 2025 impeachment proceedings.
The House Committee on Justice is expected to begin deliberating on the sufficiency of the complaints in the coming weeks.
