Plunder. Perfidy. Political assassination.

These are the three major crimes committed by impeached Vice President Sara Z.

- TONY LOPEZ

Duterte, against the people. They are very grave, not silly, charges. The evidence is so compelling only a dog or a rat will believe she is not guilty.

Which is why VP Sara must be tried, forthwith, by the Senate acting as the High Court of Impeachment (HCI) of the 20th Congress which began life noon of July 1, 2025.

Plunder is stealing tax money, people's money, our money, to the tune of P50 million, minimum. Some people say the minimum is now P75 million, thanks to inflation.

"Any public officer who, by himself or in connivance with members of his family, relatives by affinity or consanguinity, business associates, subordinates or other persons, amasses, accumulates or acquires ill-gotten wealth through a combination or series of overt or criminal acts as described in Section 1(d) hereof in the aggregate amount or total value of at least Fifty million pesos (P50,000,000) shall be guilty of the crime of plunder and shall be punished by reclusion perpetua to death," says Republic Act 7080.

Death to plunder. That's the penalty under the Ombudsman Law. Before the HCI, however, the penalty is only removal from office and permanent disqualification from holding public office.

In her first two years as VP, Duterte wasted P612.5 million in ghost or fictitious expenses. As confidential funds. She spent P1.454 million, PER DAY, as rental for safehouses that do not exist, or P16 million in 11 days, in 2022. In the first three quarters of 2023, she spent P375 million as rentals for the bogus safehouses.

In Q4 of 2022, the Commission on Audit disallowed P73.287 million she appropriated for non-confidential activities and expenses "and therefore, malversed."