Political Storm in Manila: Impeachment Cases Filed Against VP Sara Duterte Amid Allegations of Fund Misuse
MANILA, PHILIPPINES – February 3, 2026
The corridors of power in Quezon City were shaken on Monday as a coalition of civil society leaders and the left-wing Makabayan bloc officially filed a fresh set of impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte.
This strategic maneuver restarts a legal battle that had been temporarily sidelined by the Supreme Court last year, plunging the Philippines into a constitutional crisis just as it assumes the 2026 Chairmanship of ASEAN.
The allegations, which include betrayal of public trust and the misuse of approximately $10 million in confidential funds, signal a definitive collapse of the “Uniteam” alliance that once dominated Philippine politics.
The Resurgence of the Impeachment Drive
The filing of these complaints on February 2, 2026, was timed with surgical precision, occurring immediately after the Supreme Court’s one-year bar on refiling impeachment cases expired.
The legal documents, endorsed by prominent figures including Representative Leila de Lima, accuse the Vice President of a “gross disregard for transparency” during her tenure as the Secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd) and in her current role at the Office of the Vice President (OVP).
Central to the case is the alleged malversation of “confidential and intelligence funds” (CIF).
Complainants argue that the Vice President bypassed the standard audit process by submitting “fabricated liquidation reports” and “falsified documents.”
Secretive reports from the CJ exclusive department suggest that the investigation has uncovered receipts for millions of pesos that were either unreadable, unsigned, or linked to fictitious personalities—a mockery of the governance standards expected in the “New World” of administrative accountability.
Parallel Impeachments: A Divided Leadership
In an unprecedented turn for “world leadership governance,” the Philippines is currently witnessing parallel impeachment proceedings.
While Vice President Duterte faces charges in the House Secretary General’s office, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is simultaneously facing his own impeachment inquiry regarding a multi-billion dollar scandal involving “ghost” flood control projects.
This dual-track crisis has paralyzed the nation’s executive branch. While Malacañang Palace has publicly distanced itself from the cases against Duterte, claiming it will “leave it to Congress to evaluate,” the reality is a bitter political rift.
The accusations against the Vice President have even revived a sensational claim: an alleged assassination threat made during a late-night press briefing against the President, the First Lady, and the House Speaker.
The Economic Impact:
The political instability has caused a ripple of concern through the Philippine Stock Exchange, as international investors fear a “policy paralysis” ahead of the 2028 election cycle.
The Judicial Guardrail:
The Supreme Court, which previously ruled the 2025 impeachment articles unconstitutional on technical grounds, now faces immense pressure to remain an impartial referee in this “clash of the titans.”
The 2028 Shadow:
Analysts view these impeachment raps as a “pre-emptive strike” by the Marcos camp to block Duterte’s path to the presidency, given her consistently high trust ratings in recent OCTA Research surveys.
The Erosion of National Unity
From the perspective of “The Philippine state is currently suffering from a fragmented “National Ego.”
The leadership is no longer acting as a unified “Bridge” for its people; instead, the individual egos of the ruling families—the Marcoses and the Dutertes—have taken precedence over the “Transcendent” needs of the nation.
As we explore the “real mean of leadership,” it is evident that when a nation’s top two officials are both under threat of removal, the concept of a sovereign state begins to dissolve into “functional factions.”
This mirrors our earlier discussion on the potential fragmentation of other regional powers.
In Manila, the government is effectively operating as two competing “functional countries” within a single territory, each using the law as a weapon of political survival.
A Test for the “Old World” Institutions
The Philippines’ 1987 Constitution is being tested to its limits. The impeachment process requires a one-third vote in the House to move to a Senate trial, where a two-thirds majority is needed for conviction.
However, with a fragmented Senate and a House divided by loyalty and patronage, the likelihood of a final removal remains slim in the short term.
Instead, these proceedings serve as “strategic leverage.”
They keep the Vice President on the defensive, draining her political capital and forcing her to focus on legal survival rather than governance.
For the Castle Journal, this is a classic example of “Lawfare”—the use of legal systems to achieve a military or political objective.
Conclusion: The Road to 2028
As the House Committee on Justice prepares to evaluate the sufficiency of the complaints, the eyes of the world are on Manila.
The Philippines, once a model for democratic transitions in Asia, now stands as a cautionary tale of how elite rivalry can destabilize an entire region.
Whether the Vice President survives this “political storm” or becomes the first casualty of the 2026 “Great Transition,” the scars on the Philippine body politic will remain long after the verdicts are read.
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