MANILA — A former legislator has raised the possibility of Vice President Sara Duterte’s conviction in her upcoming Senate impeachment trial, citing her failure to properly account for the use of multimillion-peso intelligence funds.

Vice President Duterte, who also serves as Education Secretary, was impeached by the House of Representatives in February 2025 on charges including betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, violation of the Constitution, and other high crimes.

Duterte Has No Clear Defense – Colmenares

In an interview with ANC, former Bayan Muna Party-list Representative Neri Colmenares questioned the confidence of Duterte’s legal team.

“If we’re talking legally here, I don’t see any evidence she can also present during the impeachment trial disproving, for example, the charge that P125 million was spent by her in 11 days,” he said. “Matagal na itong hinihingi sa kanya. Hanggang ngayon, hindi niya ma-account.”

He added that the impeachment trial should proceed even if Duterte chooses to resign, emphasizing that one of the key penalties — perpetual disqualification from public office — must still be considered.

Colmenares Cites “Betrayal of Public Trust” Over P125-M Spending in 11 Days

Speaking at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay media forum, Colmenares expressed concern over the lack of transparency in Duterte’s handling of confidential and intelligence funds at the Department of Education.

Colmenares pointed to the P125 million spent in just 11 days in December 2022 — a period when many government offices were closed for the holidays.

“Betrayal of public trust is simply a violation of your oath of office. You have an oath of office, but you did not follow it. And what is the oath of office of the vice president, the president, and all other government officials? It is to obey the Constitution and execute the laws,” Colmenares said.

“There is a law under the Revised Penal Code that a government official should account for public funds that was given to him/her. And failure to do so under the Revised Penal Code, and you cannot account for public funds under your custody, then you are liable for graft and corruption and for malversation,” he added.

He argued that Duterte’s continued silence and failure to provide a clear accounting of the funds raises serious legal and ethical questions.

“For us, Vice President Sara Duterte has not explained many things. She cannot account the funds she received, specifically the confidential and intelligence funds amounting to P125 million of DepEd — not to mention the total of P612.5 million combined confidential and intelligence funds of the DepEd and the Office of the Vice President that she received for two years,” he stressed.

📷 Inday Sara Duterte FB, Neri Colmenares FB