VP Sara mum on Marcos impeachment, says her case 'all about money'

January 20, 2026 | 2:34pm

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte declined to comment on the impeachment complaint filed against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. yesterday, but said she expects to face her own impeachment case next month, which she described as a fundraising scheme by House members.

"Antayin natin ang mga susunod na mga araw kung meron akong reaction (Let's wait in the next days if I have a reaction)," Duterte said in an interview at The Hague on Monday, January 19 when asked about the Marcos complaint.

But Duterte also said she was expecting a new impeachment case filed against her once the constitutional one-year ban lifts on February 6.

"As expected, because they are the ones who always say they will file an impeachment complaint," she said in mixed English and Filipino. "It will be just like in the past when members of the House of Representatives used fundraising to sign the impeachment. It's all about the money there."

Lawyer Andre de Jesus on Monday filed the complaint against Marcos with the House, endorsed by Rep. Jett Nisay (Pusong Pinoy Partylist). The complaint accuses Marcos of graft, culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust, citing alleged kickbacks from flood control projects and his role in allowing former President Rodrigo Duterte's arrest and transfer to the International Criminal Court. 

Nisay himself faces recommended charges from the flood control scandal. He is among eight lawmakers and contractors the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure want prosecuted for plunder and graft over anomalous projects.

Refiling impeachment vs Sara

The Supreme Court in July last year struck down the impeachment complaint against Duterte, ruling it violated the one-year bar and her right to due process. But the court said new complaints can be filed starting February 6.

Progressive coalition Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and other groups have said they're preparing to refile impeachment raps against Duterte once the ban lifts. The earlier complaints accused the vice president of corruption, misuse of confidential funds, and death threats against the president.

The impeachment complaints against Duterte came after allegations of irregularities surfaced regarding her handling of P612.5 million in confidential funds at the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education from 2022 to 2023.

Congressional hearings revealed that the Commission on Audit disallowed P73 million of the OVP's P125-million confidential fund for 2022, which was spent in just 11 days. Investigators found acknowledgment receipts submitted to justify the spending bore fabricated names like "Mary Grace Piattos" and other dubious identities.

The Philippine Statistics Authority confirmed that 1,322 out of 1,992 supposed recipients of OVP confidential funds had no birth records, while 405 out of 677 DepEd recipients were nonexistent. The House found that P125 million was handed over to Duterte's security officers, bypassing authorized disbursing officers, with liquidation completed using questionable receipts.

Duterte refused to explain the irregular receipts during House hearings, saying she would only answer to the Commission on Audit. She claimed the names were aliases used in intelligence operations and that explaining them would compromise security work.

Duterte is currently in The Hague visiting her father former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is under International Criminal Court custody for crimes against humanity. She said they discussed family matters but not any message he wanted to share with Filipinos.