MANILA, Feb 19 —  Philippine Vice President and freshly declared presidential candidate Sara Duterte is facing a fourth impeachment case against her, documents seen by AFP on Thursday show.

The complaint, which accuses Duterte of misusing public funds and cites “disturbing” allegations of undeclared wealth, was filed on Wednesday, hours after she had tossed her hat into the ring for the 2028 election.

The daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte was impeached by the House of Representatives last year, only to see the country’s Supreme Court throw the case out over procedural issues.

Under the Philippine constitution, an impeachment triggers a Senate trial. A guilty verdict would see Duterte barred from politics and her presidential hopes permanently derailed.

“This is about constitutional accountability... any undeclared asset or unexplained wealth is a grave issue,” said La Union Representative Paolo Ortega, one of two lawmakers to endorse the complaint.

As with previous impeachment cases filed against the vice president this year, the new complaint leans heavily on allegations of graft and corruption.

A complaint filed on February 9 accused Duterte of bilking taxpayers of at least US$10 million (RM39.1 million) while serving as vice president and as secretary of education.

Representative Leila de Lima, one of that filing’s endorsers, called it “an improved version” of the complaint tossed out by the Supreme Court last year.

Duterte on Wednesday announced plans to run for president in 2028, calling out President Ferdinand Marcos for failing to live up to his campaign promises.

The two former allies have been engaged in a high-stakes political brawl that erupted within weeks of their 2022 win in the presidential election, when the vice president was denied her favoured cabinet portfolios and instead named education secretary.

Two analysts who spoke with AFP suggested the announcement of Duterte’s candidacy was aimed at keeping allies in line by underscoring the possibility of her faction’s return to power. — AFP