The House prosecution panel for Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial is set to appear before the Senate on June 11, the last session day for the 19th Congress, to read the seven charges in the Articles of Impeachment.
After the prosecution reads the charges, the Senate may convene as an impeachment court for the trial proper.
Duterte is the fifth government official and the first-ever vice president to be impeached in the history of the Philippines. This is after 215 members of the House of Representatives endorsed the impeachment complaint against her on Feb. 5. An additional 25 congressmen verified the complaint for a total of 240 signatories, House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said on Feb. 7.
In the complaint, Duterte was accused of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption and other high crimes in relation to the following:
- Conspiracy to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., first lady Liza Araneta Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez;
- Malversation of P612.5 million in confidential funds with questionable liquidation documents;
- Bribery and corruption in the Department of Education by giving out cash to former DepEd undersecretary Gloria Jumamil-Mercado, head of the procurement office; Bids and Awards Committee member Resty Osias; Chief Accountant Rhunna Catalan; and, Special Disbursing Officer Edward Fajarda;
- Unexplained wealth and failure to disclose assets in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth, in which her wealth had a four-fold increase from 2007 to 2017;
- Involvement in extrajudicial killings through the Davao Death Squad in Davao City;
- Destabilization, insurrection and public disorder efforts, including boycotting the president’s third state of the nation address (SONA) while declaring herself “designated survivor,” leading rallies calling for the president’s resignation, obstructing congressional investigations by ordering subordinates not to comply with subpoenas, threatening bodily harm against the first couple and Romualdez; and,
- The totality of the vice president’s conduct as the second highest official of the land.
As the nation awaits the resolution of the issue on whether or not the Vice President’s trial can proceed to the 20th Congress after it convenes in July, let’s look back at the history and timeline of impeachment cases in the country:
