DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/3 February) – A Davao City-based anti-corruption alliance is hopeful that the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will move forward, saying it is a crucial step toward demanding accountability amid the country’s many corruption scandals.
Leo XL Fuentes, co-covener of the Stand Opposition to Plunder or STOP Corruption Alliance, told MindaNews on Monday that his group welcomes the filing of fresh impeachment complaints against Duterte, as well as similar complaints against Marcos.
“As we previously shared, Marcos-Duterte are the king and queen of corruption in our country. Dasurb nila ang impeachment (They deserve the impeachment), as we deserve good governance,” he said.
The two impeachment complaints were filed against the Vice President on February 2, only five days after the Supreme Court En Banc denied with finality the motion for reconsideration to overturn its July 25, 2025 decision that declared the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte unconstitutional.
The first complaint was endorsed by the progressive groups led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) and the Makabayan bloc. It cited gross abuse of discretionary powers in relation to the use of confidential funds, gross disregard of the principle of transparency and accountability, and disregard of congressional oversight, as Duterte allegedly evaded important questions about her office’s expenditures.
Meanwhile, the second impeachment complaint against Duterte, endorsed by Akbayan Partylist Representative Percival Cendaña and Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Partylist Representative Leila M. De Lima, alleged culpable violations of the Constitution, graft and corruption, bribery, betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes.
In a statement issued on Monday, Atty. Michael T. Poa, a member of Duterte’s defense team, said that the filing of new impeachment complaints against Duterte was not surprising.
Poa said Duterte’s camp is prepared “to confront these allegations squarely through the proper constitutional processes, confident that a fair and impartial review will demonstrate that the accusations are devoid of both factual and legal basis.”
“As the Supreme Court has recently emphasized, impeachment is not merely a political process initiated by mere allegations or by perceived public acclaim shaped by the propagandistic effect of timed press releases or irresponsible viral posts on social media,” he said.
Meanwhile, Rauf Sissay, secretariat member of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN)-Southern Mindanao Region, said that they remain committed to pursuing this effort despite last year’s initial setback following the Supreme Court’s decision ruling against the constitutionality of the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte.
Last January 29, the Court sustained its July 25, 2025 ruling, holding that the fourth impeachment complaint filed against Duterte on February 5, 2025, was unconstitutional for violating due process and the one-year bar rule under Article XI, Section 3(5) of the Constitution.
Article XI, Section 3(5) provides that “no impeachment proceedings shall be initiated against the same official more than once within a period of one year.”
The Committee on Justice of the House of Representatives has also found the impeachment complaints against Marcos “sufficient in form” in a hearing held on Monday.
Sissay said his group hopes the impeachment complaints against Duterte and Marcos “will advance further in due course.”
“Overall, we in BAYAN–Southern Mindanao firmly support the impeachment proceedings and all other measures aimed at exacting accountability from Sara Duterte, Marcos Jr., and all those involved in corruption,” he said. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
