AS the House of Representatives intensifies its inquiry into the confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President, Vice President Sara Duterte is now confronted again by another impeachment case, following the first impeachment case filed against her last Monday. 

     Not long after the first complaint, last Wednesday, Dec. 4, around 74 complainants from various civil society and progressive groups, including the marginalized, labor, peasant, environmental, and student organizations, along with lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc, Rep. Raoul Manuel, Kabataan Partylist, Rep. Arlene Brosas, Gabriela Women’s Party, and Rep. France Castro, ACT Teachers Partylist. 

      The second complaint only had the betrayal of public trust as its ground. One of the complainants, former Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares, shared that the one ground was “all-encompassing.” Rep. Teddy Casiño, from the same party, said that the ground stems from the alleged "abuse, misuse, and wastage" of P612.5 million in confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) from Duterte's office.

     This derived from the hearing last Nov. 5, where House lawmakers disputed the accuracy of 158 acknowledgment receipts submitted by the Office of the Vice President to the Commission on Audit. The said receipts needed signatures and were correctly dated. 

     The first impeachment complaint was filed by civil society organizations last Dec. 2, including Magdalo, Mamamayang Liberal, Tindig Pilipinas, families of drug war victims, and leaders of the Catholic Church. Former senator Leila de Lima, the spokesperson of the group, mentioned culpable violation of the constitution, graft and corruption, bribery, betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes as the grounds in the 50-page impeachment complaint. 

     The complaint stated Duterte's unanswered expenditures of the 125 million CIF in 2022 and her failure to account for the 150 million and 500 million CIF she received in 2023. Moreover, it was stated that she was allegedly involved in money laundering from 2007 to 2015, and irregularity was shown in her accounts and her legitimate income during the said periods. 

     It is also revealed that Duterte was illegally practicing her profession as a lawyer during her incumbency as vice president. Her involvement in the extra-judicial killings perpetrated by the Davao Death Squad was also stated, along with the abandonment of the people during her flight to Germany amid Super Typhoon Carina. 

     Lastly, her implied threat to the President, the Congress, the Cabinet, and other government functionaries during the 3rd State of the Nation Address last July 22, wherein she designated herself as a "designated survivor"— a Netflix series involving a deadly explosion. 

     The House of Representatives will initially review the impeachment complaints, which currently has 307 members. As stated in the 1987 Constitution, a vote of at least one-third of the House of Representatives shall be met first, either to affirm a favorable resolution or set aside the Articles of Impeachment of the Committee. Thus, at least 103 votes are needed for the case to advance to the Senate.