Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte faces an escalating impeachment crisis as lawmakers examine PHP6.7bn ($130mn) in suspicious transactions, the House Committee on Justice reported on April 22. The move marks a definitive break in the UniTeam alliance that brought the Duterte and Marcos families to power in 2022, according to Philippine News Agency (PNA).

The investigation has moved into what Chairperson Gerville Luistro calls the "forensic truth" phase. This follows a year of legal stalemate where a previous impeachment attempt was blocked by a Supreme Court (SC) ruling on the "one-year bar" rule. With that restriction expired as of February 6, the floodgates have opened for a data-heavy trial that represents the most significant threat to the Duterte dynasty's national standing.

“We are no longer just talking about political disagreements; we are looking at a document-and-data confrontation,” Luistro said during the hearing. “The evidence gathered has surpassed the threshold of probable cause.”

The rising scrutiny follows a series of public spats between the vice president and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and will put pressure on the Senate to act as a neutral arbiter in what is rapidly becoming a constitutional showdown. This is the first time a sitting vice president has faced a "forensic" impeachment probe of this scale, moving the needle from mere political hearsay to bank-verified evidence.

The money trail

The committee's focus has narrowed to three specific financial clusters that suggest a systemic "betrayal of public trust," a constitutional ground for removal. Unlike previous Philippine impeachments, which often relied on emotional witness testimony, this probe is leaning heavily on bank records and tax data to build a clinical case against the vice president.

According to a report by PNA, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) identified over 600 "covered and suspicious" transactions totalling PHP6.7bn ($130mn) linked to accounts associated with the vice president and her husband, Manases Carpio. AMLC Executive Director Ronel Buenaventura confirmed that these transactions, which date back as far as 2006, included PHP4.43bn ($85mn) in total deposits.

The investigation is particularly focused on a sharp "mismatch" between these bank movements and Duterte's official Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN). Inquirer.net reports that while the Vice President's net worth rose from PHP71mn ($1.3mn) in 2022 to PHP88.5mn ($1.7mn) in 2024, her SALNs reflected no declared "cash on hand" or "cash in bank" for six straight years since 2019. Deputy Speaker David Suarez described this as a "sharp mismatch" compared to the sheer volume of bank transactions reported by the AMLC.

Furthermore, the "11-day spend" remains a central pillar of the case. Lawmakers are still seeking a full accounting of PHP125mn ($2.4mn) in confidential funds spent by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) in a record-breaking 11 days in December 2022.

Corporate conflicts and constitutional bars

Beyond the cash flows, the House is digging into Duterte’s corporate ties. During the April 22 hearing, Gerardo Del Rosario of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revealed that a "Sarah Z. Duterte" was listed as a board member and stockholder of Metro City Chow Foods from 2022 to 2025.

As Inquirer highlights, Cagayan de Oro Representative Lordan Suan noted that this is a direct violation of the 1987 Constitution, which prohibits executive officials from participating in any business or holding financial interests in government contracts during their tenure. “The resource person just confirmed that she has 500 shares in the company,” Suan said during the hearing, adding that officials must “strictly avoid conflict of interest” to maintain the integrity of their office.

The path to these 2026 hearings was obstructed by a complex legal stalemate. In February 2025, the House initially impeached the Vice President, but the SC intervened. As documented by The Manila Times, the SC ruled in July 2025 that the initial impeachment was unconstitutional because it violated the "one-year bar"—a rule preventing more than one impeachment proceeding against the same official within a single year.

However, the Supreme Court maintained that it was “not absolving Duterte of the charges.” Once the one-year ban officially expired on February 6, 2026, four new complaints were filed. While some were withdrawn or set aside, the House Committee on Justice ruled the remaining complaints “sufficient in substance” on March 4, finally clearing the way for the current examination of bank records, tax data, and corporate filings.

Duterte's legal team, led by lawyer Israelito Torreon, has sought further SC intervention, arguing that the House probe has “expanded” beyond the original complaints by including post-filing affidavits and AMLC-related documents. The Manila Times reports that the petitioners view this as a “continuing post-filing expansion” that violates procedural rules and should be halted by the high court.

The 2028 road block

The impeachment is not merely a legal trial; it is the unofficial launch of the next presidential cycle. On February 18, 2026, despite the looming trial, Sara Duterte officially announced her candidacy for President in 2028, according to Politiko. Her slogan, "Ibalik ang Tapang at Malasakit!" (Bring Back Courage and Compassion), directly targets the base of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.

The stakes of the current House probe are absolute. ABS-CBN News reports that the House Committee on Justice will conduct its final impeachment hearing on April 29, which is set to tackle the alleged death threats made by Duterte against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the First Lady. A representative from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is expected to attend.

If the committee finds probable cause on April 29, the case will move to the House plenary. A one-third vote (approx. 103 members) is required to send the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate. A conviction by the Senate (requiring 16 out of 24 Senators) would remove her from office and perpetually disqualify her from holding any public office, effectively ending her 2028 ambitions and fundamentally altering the Philippine political landscape.

Duterte has largely dismissed the proceedings as “political theatre,” skipping recent hearings and seeking travel authority for international visits through May. As the "forensic truth" phase concludes, the nation watches to see if the data-driven case will lead to the first successful removal of a sitting vice president in Philippine history.