Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte's high-stakes feud with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has escalated, with civil society groups filing a complaint on Dec 2 calling for her impeachment as the 2025 midterm election approaches.
Various organisations identified with the opposition movement critical of both the Duterte and Marcos factions filed the complaint against the Vice-President in the House of Representatives.
They have accused her of culpable violation of the Constitution, corruption, bribery, betrayal of public trust and other high crimes.
At the centre of the impeachment complaint are accusations that Ms Duterte, 46, misused over 775 million pesos (S$17.75 million) of funds intended for sensitive and classified purposes.
The funds were disbursed in 2022 and 2023 to the Office of the Vice-President and Department of Education, which she headed until her resignation from the Marcos Cabinet in June.
Lawmakers have already started investigating Ms Duterte over the same funds, but she has so far refused to explain how the money was spent, branding the probe as political harassment.
The Straits Times has asked Ms Duterte's office for comment, but there is no response yet.
The complaint's filing comes just over a week after Ms Duterte shocked the nation in a midnight rant livestreamed via Zoom on Nov 23 that she had hired an assassin to kill Mr Marcos and his wife, as well as his cousin, the House Speaker, should she end up dead.
Denne historien er fra December 03, 2024-utgaven av The Straits Times.
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Denne historien er fra December 03, 2024-utgaven av The Straits Times.
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CALLIGRAPHY IS BIG WITH ARTIST
The boulders hiding in the alcove of Tong Yang-tze's (right) Taipei apartment testify to this Taiwanese calligrapher's daunting perfectionism. They are paper - remnants of discarded artworks, crumpled together like used tissues and soaked into inky wads of pulp. Hundreds of old drafts of writing, including many of her efforts to draw Chinese poetry at a monumental scale, have been recycled into these rocks over the years, most recently as she worked on her commission for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which debuted on Nov 21.
Mattel sued over Wicked dolls with porn website link
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Taiwanese musician-director Liu Chia-chang a composer of hit songs
Famed veteran Taiwanese musician and director Liu Chia-chang has died at the age of 81.
Actress Kristal Tin reveals lung cancer diagnosis
Former TVB actress Kristal Tin revealed on Instagram on Dec 3 that she has undergone successful surgery for lung cancer.
South Korean entertainment schedules up in the air
SEOUL - Schedules of performances and interviews in South Korea have been thrown into a state of uncertainty by a sudden martial law declaration that was lifted only a few hours later.
Host Dasmond Koh surprised by martial law edict while in Seoul for work
Upheaval in Seoul, South Korea
Squid Game returns to end 2024 with a bang
In this monthly column, The Straits Times' streaming picks for December include the long-awaited second season of the survivalist hit Squid Game (2021 to present) and its non-lethal equivalent.
Flow speaks Volumes, The Room Next Door a thin melodrama
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Funeral rites come alive in The Last Dance
The Hong Kong drama offers fascinating glimpses into the city's funeral traditions
Tolkien and anime work well together, says Japanese director
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