House moves to impeach VP Sara Duterte as 215 endorse complaint
Credit to Author: Dominique Nicole Flores| Date: Wed, 5 Feb 2025 15:46:00 +0800
MANILA, Philippines (Update 2: 4:06 p.m.) — Vice President Sara Duterte is set to face an impeachment trial in the Senate after a complaint against her secured the endorsement of over two-thirds of House members on Wednesday, February 5.
This marks the first impeachment case against a sitting vice president, the country’s second-highest official after the president.
The House of Representatives had stalled the transmission of three impeachment complaints to the Speaker’s office for two months. Lawmakers later filed a fourth complaint, which consolidated the cited grounds of the earlier three. The lead complainant was presidential son and Senior Deputy Majority Leader Sandro Marcos.
House Secretary General Reginal Velasco previously explained that the delay was caused by the possible filing of a fourth impeachment complaint. He told Philstar.com in a phone call that the lawmakers who endorsed the other three complaints also signed the fourth and are considered as complainants as well.
But just before Congress suspends session again on February 7, lawmakers moved forward with the process — bypassing deliberations at the committee level.
The move not only advances the complaint, but it fast-tracks it to the Senate with the endorsement of 215 House members. At least one-third, or 102 votes, is needed. There are 306 members as of February 5.
Prior to the endorsement, lawmakers were seen heading to Romualdez Hall for a “caucus” meeting. Rep. Mary Mitzi Cajayon-Uy (Caloocan, 2nd District) told the media in an ambush interview that they received a message from House Speaker Romualdez.
Impeachment process. Under House rules, impeachment complaints typically undergo scrutiny by the justice committee, which determines their sufficiency and allows the accused official to respond.
The committee then submits a resolution to the plenary, where a one-third vote of all House members is needed to advance the case to the Senate. However, Wednesday’s endorsement expedited the process, automatically sending the case to trial.
The Senate, acting as the impeachment court, must secure a two-thirds vote — or at least 16 of its 24 members — to convict Duterte and remove her from office.
A conviction, however, would not impose additional penalties such as fines or imprisonment. This would be up to judicial courts should criminal charges be filed against Duterte.
At the Senate trial, 11 members of the House of Representatives will act as the prosecutor and defend the decision to impeach Duterte.
During the plenary, the following members were endorsed and approved to serve as House prosecutors at the trial.
The plenary also decided to archive the first three impeachment complaints as the fourth complaint will be tackled instead.
What the Senate says. Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero said in December 2024 that the Senate will convene as an impeachment court when it needs to be, despite the limited time left before the 19th Congress officially comes to a close.
“I can't say if there will be time. But whatever work is thrown at the Senate, we will try to fulfill it because it is our duty to hear any case that is brought before us,” he said at a media forum.
The impeachment proceedings, Escudero said, could proceed even as Congress is on break, since it is a “unique process” outside of congressional session.
What the complaints allege. The fourth impeachment complaint consolidated the grounds of impeachment referred by the three impeachment complaints first filed against the vice president. They cited the betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption and other high crimes.
The complaints largely stem from a congressional probe into the possible misuse of confidential and intelligence funds under Duterte’s leadership.
The House good government committee examined the P500 million in confidential funds spent by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the P112.5 million by the Department of Education (DepEd) in 2022 and 2023, uncovering irregularities in fund handling and accounting, including unregistered identities of supposed recipients.
Various sectoral and civil society groups, including families of extrajudicial killings from the war on drugs, filed the impeachment complaints against Duterte.
RELATED: 'Betrayal of public trust' alleged in first impeachment complaint filed vs VP Sara Duterte
If Duterte avoids impeachment, the Constitution bars any new impeachment attempt against her for one year.