Members of the clergy and the Philippine Bar filed on Monday another impeachment complaint, the third, against Vice President Sara Duterte,

The 98-page complaint for the ouster of Duterte was filed before the Office of House Secretary General Cheloy Garafil. It was endorsed by Mamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima.

Included among the petitioners in the case were Rev. Fr. Joel Saballa, Rev. Fr. Joselito Sarabia, Rev. Fr. Edilberto Baculi, Rev. Fr. Rogelio del Rosario, Pastor Leonard Arevalo, lawyers ARmando Ligutan, Jalilo de la Torre, Democrito Barcenas and Lourdes Barcenas, together with Sisters Ma. Liza Ruedas, Violeta B. Cecilio and Geraldine I. Denoga.

Six grounds for impeachment were cited in the third complaint demanding Duterte to step down from office.

Cited in the ground for culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust and other high crimes were accusations that Duterte illegally amassed wealth through the malversation of over PhP500 million confidential funds that her office received from 2022 to 2023.

The conversion of no less thant PhP112.million in CIF allocated to the Department of Education during Duterte’s term as secretary of the Department of Education in 2023 was also cited as a reason for her expulsion from office.

The complainants also accused her of corrupting and bribing DepEd officials.

According to them Duterte had also admitted having contracted the assassination of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.

Records in the Lower House revealed that LIgutan, who is acting as the petitioners’ legal counsel, and several other complainants filed the third impeachment complaint against Duterte in 2024.

The current wave of impeachment complaint filed started on February 2 with the Makabayan Coalition filing its petition to impeach Duerte. The complainants accused Duterte of committing grave abuse of her discretionary powers in spending over PhP612.5million in CIF and falsifying liquidation reports and documents.

Civil society groups filed the second impeachment complaint.