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Impeachment complaint filed against Philippine President for 'betrayal of public trust'
The complaint – endorsed by three lawmakers who are members of the Makabayan (Patriotic) bloc in Congress – alleges three acts of betrayal of public trust
- PUBLISHED: Thu 22 Jan 2026, 12:45 PM
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Several cause-oriented groups filed an impeachment complaint against Philippine President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr. on Thursday, accusing him of “culpable violation of the Constitution, treason, bribery, graft and corruption, other high crimes, and betrayal of public trust.”
The complaint – endorsed by three lawmakers who are members of the Makabayan (Patriotic) bloc in Congress – alleges three acts of betrayal of public trust, including Marcos’ institutionalisation of systemic corruption through a formula called ‘baselined-balanced-managed’ (or BBM, which are the initials of the president) to have “discretionary power over unprogrammed appropriations, and direct personal involvement in budgetary insertions and kickback schemes.”
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According to the 37-page impeachment complaint seen by Khaleej Times, “betrayal of public trust is the most egregious violation of the sacred covenant between a public servant and the Filipino people.
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“This complaint arises from what may be characterised as the most systematic, brazen, and devastating scheme of corruption to plague Philippine infrastructure spending in recent history: the flood control projects corruption scandal from 2022 to 2025.”
The complainants, led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), noted “the magnitude of the offense is staggering. A total of ₱545.6 billion (Dh34 billion) was allocated for flood control projects, with a disproportionate ₱100 billion (Dh6.25 billion) concentrated in the hands of merely 15 favored contractors.
“The consequences have been catastrophic. While the President’s inner circle and political allies amassed billions in (kickbacks), the Filipino people were left with substandard or non-existent infrastructure, defenseless against the very floods these funds were meant to prevent,” they underscored.
"(Marcos’) involvement in the grand scheme of corruption makes impeachment necessary to hold him accountable. The people have been robbed repeatedly and systematically," the complainants added, noting: “Impeachment is not a partisan exercise. It is a constitutional mechanism for holding the President accountable when he betrays the trust of the Filipino people.”
“(Filipinos) deserve a President who upholds the public trust, not one who betrays it. Marcos, Jr. has forfeited the right to continue in office. The Constitution provides the remedy. It is time for Congress to act,” they continued.
Several officials, legislators, and contractors involved in corruption have been charged; but billions of pesos cannot be stolen without the president's knowledge. Marcos himself signed and implemented the budget. He is the one who initiated the theft and plunder. (His) billion-peso theft cannot be allowed to go unpunished,” said Raymond Palatino, Bayan secretary general.
‘Not accepted’
Meanwhile, the impeachment complaint against Marcos unceremoniously hit a snag after the House Office of the Secretary General (OSG) refused to accept the filing because its secretary-general and former presidential spokesperson, Cheloy Garafil, was out of the country on Thursday.
Former Bayan Muna congressman and human rights lawyer, Neri Colmenares, however, insisted Garafil’s physical absence should not prevent the filing of an impeachment complaint. Colmenares deemed the impeachment complaint served to the OSG under House rules.
In the Philippines, the House of Representatives has the exclusive power to initiate all cases of impeachment. This requires the approval by at least one-third (1/3) of all the members of the House of Representatives before the articles of impeachment are then transmitted to the Senate, which has the sole power to try and decide all cases of impeachment.
According to the University of the Philippines College of Law, “unlike traditional legal proceedings, impeachment is quintessentially political, with facts and law being weighed not by specially trained judges but by popularly elected members of Congress.”
