Impeachment complaints vs Sara Duterte pass substance test

MANILA, Philippines – The impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte passed a crucial second preliminary test at the House of Representatives on Wednesday, March 4, extending the life of the proceedings.

The House justice committee voted to declare the two active complaints sufficient in substance, just two days after deeming them sufficient in form.

The development contrasts with the impeachment proceedings against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last month, when neither of the two petitions filed against him survived the substance test. The failure of both complaints to clear that stage in the proceedings earned the chief executive a constitutional one-year immunity from impeachment.

Filipinos are now a step closer to seeing a public hearing that will examine witnesses and evidence in the impeachment proceedings against Duterte. (FAST FACTS: How does impeachment work?)

For now, the justice committee will send Duterte a copy of the complaints and give her 10 session days to file an answer. If she chooses not to respond, it will be assumed that she is denying the accusations.

There will be a series of back-and-forth exchanges between Duterte’s camp and the complainants before the justice committee determines whether a public hearing will be necessary. Overall, the panel has 60 session days from the initiation of the proceedings on February 23 to issue a decision on the impeachment bid.

Sufficiency in substance

In declaring both complaints in substance, the committee determined that the documents cited constitutional grounds for impeachment that are supported by factual allegations.

The first complaint was endorsed by Mamamayang Liberal Representative Leila de Lima, while the second was endorsed by Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega and Manila 6th District Representative Bienvenido Abante.

Both complaints obtained 54 affirmative votes and 1 negative vote.

Both petitions seek Vice President’s removal from office for alleged misuse of confidential funds, bribery of government officials, apparent threats to the life of President Marcos Jr., and unexplained wealth, among others.

There were originally four complaints referred to the justice committee, but two did not make it past the first day of the impeachment proceedings. The panel set aside the complaint endorsed by Makabayan for having been filed days before the expiration of the one-year bar; the other one was withdrawn by petitioners from Tindig Pilipinas, supposedly to avoid prolonging the proceedings.

This is the second time that the House is seeking the impeachment of the Vice President, after doing so in February 2025. At the time, the chamber availed itself of a constitutionally valid shortcut when a single petition garnered the support of more than one-third of the House.

Because none of the petitions had that level of support this year, impeachment advocates were compelled to take the longer route via the justice committee.

The increasingly volatile political landscape complicates the numbers’ game to impeach the Vice President this time and send the potential articles of impeachment to the Senate, where impeachable officials are held on trial.

The National Unity Party, the House’s second-largest voting bloc, previously said it is unlikely to support a new impeachment effort against the Vice President unless compelling new evidence emerges.

It issued the statement days after Duterte declared her candidacy for president in 2028. – Rappler.com