2nd impeachment complaint filed against Philippine VP

ANKARA

A second impeachment complaint was filed against Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday amid a deepening rift in the ruling coalition.

The complaint, submitted by over 70 representatives of progressive groups in the House of Representatives, was reported by the Manila Times.

Led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), the groups accused Duterte of misusing confidential funds in their complaint.

This follows the first impeachment complaint filed on Monday, which was endorsed by Akbayan party-list representative Percival Cendeña.

Duterte is facing a growing number of cases since last month after she allegedly threatened President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his wife, and his cousin, who is the House speaker, with assassination if she were killed.

On Friday, President Marcos dismissed any potential impeachment process against Vice President Duterte, saying it “would not benefit the Filipino people.”

Duterte has accused Romualdez, a cousin of Marcos, of wanting her dead, claiming he sees her as the "biggest threat" to his ambitions for the 2028 presidential election.

The vice president was scheduled to appear before the National Bureau of Investigation regarding the case on Friday, but she skipped the appearance.

Marcos and Duterte ran as running mates in the 2022 elections, securing a six-year term.

However, the alliance has unraveled in recent months, leading Duterte to resign from Marcos' Cabinet in June, where she held the education portfolio.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid