MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte is facing a second, comprehensive plunder complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman, with new allegations ranging from the misuse of hundreds of millions in public funds to receiving money from individuals linked to the illegal drug trade.
The supplemental complaint was filed on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, by former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and the civil society group The Silent Majority (TSM). It aims to bolster a previous plunder case filed in December 2025 regarding the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds (CFs) during Duterte’s tenure at the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd).
The “Drug Money” Allegation One of the most explosive additions in the new filing is the accusation that Duterte received funds from a person linked to the illegal drug trade while she was the mayor of Davao City. The complainants further alleged that her family’s reported involvement in drug smuggling directly impacts her “moral fitness” to serve as the nation’s second-highest official.
23 Counts of Anomalies Trillanes and TSM outlined nearly two dozen specific instances of alleged corruption and administrative failure, including:
- Confidential Funds: A reported failure to account for P125 million in CFs given to the OVP in December 2022.
- DepEd Mismanagement: Allegations from a former “bagman” that Duterte misused P650 million in DepEd funds in 2023.
- Overpriced Procurement: The P8-billion purchase of laptops that state auditors previously flagged as overpriced.
- Classroom Shortage: The building of only 192 classrooms during her DepEd stint, far short of the 6,000+ target.
- SALW Discrepancy: An alleged failure to declare more than P2 billion in assets in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth.
“The Real Sara” Trillanes stated that the goal of the case is to “expose” what he calls the “real Sara Duterte” to the public. “The primary reason why she remains popular is because Filipinos do not truly know the real Sara Duterte because of how their trolls have flooded social media,” Trillanes told reporters.
The complaint also cited Duterte’s November 2024 press conference, where she allegedly made death threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., as further evidence of her unsuitability for office.
Impeachment and Legal Path The complainants have urged the Ombudsman to act decisively and recommend Duterte’s impeachment to Congress. This filing comes as the Vice President remains under intense scrutiny; while the Supreme Court previously dismissed impeachment articles in July 2025 due to a one-year prohibition, the Court noted that new complaints could be filed starting February 6, 2026.
Vice President Duterte has previously dismissed such accusations as “politically motivated” and “Red-tagging” attempts by her critics. As the Ombudsman begins its review, this case marks a significant escalation in the ongoing political divide within the Philippine government.