Ex-party-list rep Oducado says resignation due to health reasons, not impeachment

MANILA, Philippines – Resigned congressman Nat Oducado said on Tuesday, May 19, that he resigned due to health reasons, and not because of his vote to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte.

Oducado of party-list group 1Tahanan was among the two lawmakers who were dropped from the roll of the House on Monday, May 18, the other being Franz Vincent Legazpi of Pinoy Workers. The reasons for their exits were not immediately clear.

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But Oducado, in an ambush interview the following day, said that he’s been getting dizzy the past few months.

“I will still have to undergo a checkup because my family has a long history… So I have asthma. At the same time, I’ve been getting tired fast in the past few months,” he said.

Oducado was among the 257 out of 318 lawmakers who voted to impeach Duterte in early May. That’s even though his party-list group was backed by Senator Bong Go — a staunch ally of the Dutertes — in the 2025 polls.

“Our supporters specifically from Cebu and Mindanao, they were frustrated. In fact, I’ve been getting several messages… (asking) me what happened with my vote. So I had to explain.”

But he publicly insisted there was no impeachment-related pressure that caused his abrupt resignation.

“Our vote was just following the direction of the majority,” Oducado added. “As leaders, we have to stand by difficult positions.”

1Tahanan placed 44th in the 2025 polls, garnering over 309,761 votes and one seat in Congress.

A member of the House majority, Oducado filed at least 107 bills in his first year in the 20th Congress, including measures on campaign finance transparency, voter education in school curricula, and establishment of job placement offices in high schools, among others.

His party-list group has yet to decide his replacement. The second nominee is a certain Gerard Joseph Alino, but Oducado said its chairman — fourth nominee and media outlet Brigada founder Elmer Catulpos — could claim the seat if the party agrees. – Rappler.com