Impeachment of PBBM, VP Sara won’t end corruption, group says
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/12 January)– Amid reports that impeachment complaints will be filed against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte next month, a member of the anti-corruption alliance in Davao City said the ouster of the country’s two highest officials would only have a limited impact but would not eradicate corruption.
Dr. Jean Lindo, co-chair of Panalipdan Mindanao and co-convenor of Stand in Opposition to Plunder (STOP) Corruption Alliance, told MindaNews that the problem will persist even if Marcos and Duterte are both impeached, unless the system of corruption in the country is dismantled.
“If there is anything we can get from the exercise (impeachment), it is to demonstrate critically engaged citizenship in demanding accountability. But to demonstrate accountability from politicians and institutions, I am not very positive. I am glad there is still citizenship,” she said.
She said that despite efforts by the progressive groups to have the pork barrel declared as unconstitutional, several politicians have continued the practice of making insertions in the national budget.
“I think she (VP Sara) is confident she will prevail. Most likely she will, given our political context. The problem is systemic, and obviously those in the halls of power are not giving up the mechanisms and sources of corruption,” she said.
She said that politicians want to win elections to “protect the corrupt system.”
The one-year ban preventing the filing of an impeachment complaint against Duterte will end on February 5 which means any complaints may be filed against her thereafter.
In an interview with ANC News on Monday, Caloocan 2nd District Representative and Senior Deputy Minority Leader Edgar Erice disclosed that some lawmakers had asked him to endorse a complaint against Marcos on the grounds of “betrayal of public trust” but he said he declined.
“Sabi ko sa both impeachment kay VP Sara at BBM hindi ako mag-iendorse kasi under the new rules provided by the Supreme Court, kailangan dumaan muna sa Committee on Justice (I said in both impeachment against VP Sara and BBM, I will not endorse because under the new rules provided by the Supreme Court, it will have to go through the Committee on Justice),” Erice was quoted as having said.
Erice added that he wanted to keep an open mind and arrive at a fair judgment by listening to all arguments and charges in both impeachment complaints against the President and the Vice President.
The impeachment against Duterte was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in a decision penned by SC Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen and promulgated on July 25, 2025, for violating the one-year bar rule and the right to due process in the Bill of Rights.
Duterte was accused of misusing confidential funds of the Department of Education (DepEd) during her tenure as secretary, as well as those of the Office of the Vice President. She resigned as DepEd secretary on 19 June 2024 amid a growing conflict with Marcos.
But the Court, in ruling the case, said it “is not absolving Vice President Duterte from any of the charges against her.”
Leo XL Fuentes, co-covenor of STOP Corrupion Alliance, said it is about time Duterte faces accountability over the alleged misuse of public funds.
“We hope that this time it will not be dismissed on mere technicalities, and that it will be acted upon forthwith. Impeachment is one of the guarantees of accountability and a hallmark of a robust democracy,” he said.
Rauf Sissay, secretariat member of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN)-Southern Mindanao Region, said all corrupt public officials must be held accountable and punished.
“If a new impeachment complaint is filed against VP Sara Duterte, on our part, we will critically view it as one of the means to exact accountability from her and other government officials involved in corruption or abuse of power,” he said.
He added that they will “continue campaigning and working for good governance and social justice outside of parliament, in the streets, and within communities.”
In a statement on Sunday, Davao City First District Representative Paolo Duterte had criticized the possible filing of another impeachment complaint against his sister by lawmakers in Congress.
“Some say impeachment is the voice of the people. But the question is – when did you actually speak with your constituents? Or is it more true that the ones you spoke with were the administration, the budget, and power? Because it seems very clear whose interests you are following,” he said. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
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