2 out of 4 complaints vs VP Sara survive Day 1 of impeach proceedings

MANILA, Philippines – Two impeachment complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte have passed the preliminary test in the House of Representatives.

The House justice committee said the third and fourth impeachment complaints against the vice president were sufficient in form, meaning these were properly signed, verified, and endorsed by a lawmaker.

The first complaint, filed by progressive leaders and endorsed by Makabayan, was “set aside” in a 22-to-10 vote amid clashing interpretations regarding the one-year bar on impeachment proceedings against the vice president.

Makabayan filed its complaint with the House on February 2, days before February 6, the supposed expiry date of the one-year bar as repeatedly mentioned by the Supreme Court (SC) in its July 2025 ruling.

Makabayan’s basis in filing the complaint days earlier, however, was the newer resolution of the High Court last month which stated that the one-year bar was triggered on January 14, 2025, or 10 session days after the first impeachment complaint against Duterte was filed in December 2024.

Makabayan’s interpretation was that the one-year bar, based on the recent SC ruling, expired on January 14, 2026. The newer ruling did not explicitly say that.

“What is implied cannot overturn what is expressed,” said the House justice committee’s Keith Flores, who raised the motion to “set aside” Makabayan’s petition.

“The reason why we are trying to be careful with the interpretation of the Supreme Court decision is because this is an issue of jurisdiction,” Manila 3rd District Representative Joel Chua added.

Withdrawal

Professor Kiko Aquino Dee and his group Tindig Pilipinas, meanwhile, withdrew the second complaint supposedly to avoid further delays in the proceedings. They threw their support instead behind the third complaint filed by clergy members and endorsed also by Mamamayang Liberal Representative Leila de Lima.

House justice committee vice chair Bel Zamora asserted that the removal of the two of the four complaints from the proceedings did not diminish the merits of the impeachment case against the Vice President.

“There was no ruling on the merits,” Zamora said.

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The committee will resume deliberations on Tuesday, March 3, and proceed with the determination of the substance of the two remaining complaints.

If either complaint passes that test, the Vice President will be notified of the complaints against her and will be given the opportunity to respond to the allegations.

The issues raised against Duterte in the new impeachment drive remain the same — her alleged misuse of confidential funds, her alleged bribery of education officials, her alleged unexplained wealth, and her apparent threats to the life of the President and his family, among others.

The Vice President has issued blanket denials but has not responded in detail to each allegation. – Rappler.com