MANILA – An alliance of civil society groups in the Philippines on Dec 2 filed an impeachment complaint against Vice-President Sara Duterte, on grounds of grave misconduct and constitutional violations.

       The daughter of firebrand former president Rodrigo Duterte, has been embroiled in a bitter row with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and is the subject of a House inquiry into her spending. She denies wrongdoing.

       Complainants included civil society and religious leaders, as well as former government officials critical of her father.

       “The Vice-President has reduced public office to a platform for violent rhetoric, personal enrichment, elitist entitlement and a shield for impunity,” Ms Teresita Quintos Deles, one of the complainants, said in a statement.

       A representative of the Akbayan opposition party endorsed the complaint in the Philippine House of Representatives.

       Ms Duterte’s office said requests for comment had been relayed to the vice-president.

       The bid is the latest twist in a high-profile row being played out publicly between three of the Philippines’ highest office-holders following the collapse of a powerful alliance between their families that led to Mr Marcos’ landslide win in the 2022 election.

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       “This impeachment is not just a legal battle but a moral crusade to restore dignity and decency to public service,” said Ms Leila de Lima, a spokesperson for the complainants and a staunch critic of an anti-narcotics campaign run by Ms Duterte’s father.

       The complaint accused Ms Duterte of violating the Philippine constitution by refusing to attend hearings on her budget which violated the system of checks and balances, and graft, both as vice president’s office and when she was the education minister.

       It also accused her of gross incompetence and dereliction of duty.

       Ms Duterte recently said she had contracted someone to kill Mr Marcos, his wife and House Speaker Martin Romualdez – the President’s cousin – if she herself were to be killed. She later said the remarks had been taken out of context.

       Mr Marcos on Nov 29 said any impeachment complaint against his estranged Vice-President would only distract Congress and not help people, in remarks that drew criticism from some lawmakers.

       The Philippines’ lower chamber of congress is dominated by Mr Marcos’ allies, which could allow Ms Duterte’s impeachment to go through the lower chamber before an impeachment trial in the Senate. REUTERS