Déjà vu: House will try to impeach VP Sara Duterte again

MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives transmitted the four impeachment complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte to the justice committee on Monday, February 23, putting the country’s second top official in a familiar predicament from last year.

Referral of the petitions to the panel, as per Supreme Court jurisprudence, indicates that the impeachment proceedings against the Vice President have been officially initiated.

The House, however, is taking the long route this time, ensuring a more tedious process to have the Vice President indicted for her alleged offenses.

If the petitions pass the preliminary test of form and substance, the justice committee will be compelled to try to get the Vice President’s formal response to the allegations, and even invite her to the hearings. The panel has a maximum of 60 session days to wrap up its investigation.

Last year, an impeachment complaint against the Vice President was swiftly transmitted to the Senate since it was signed by more than one-third of all House members. Because the impeachment advocates had the numbers, they were able to avail of the fast-track mode under the 1987 Constitution.

That impeachment bid, however, stalled in the Senate, and was ultimately declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, which faulted the House for failing to act on the first three complaints against the Vice President, thereby resulting in the violation of the constitutional one-year bar.

This year, the three impeachment complaints were endorsed by a total of eight lawmakers, a far cry from the 215 congressional endorsers in 2025.

The endorsers this year, however, include Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega and Manila 6th District Representative Bienvenido Abante, signaling that the effort has the potential backing of the majority, although Ortega insisted his endorsement is his personal decision.

The refiled petitions echo arguments raised in the complaints last year — that Duterte should be removed from office for her alleged misuse of confidential funds, and bribery of education officials.

At least one of the three complaints also cited the following offenses: her alleged unexplained wealth, her supposed role in the extrajudicial killings in Davao, her apparent threats to the life of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family, and her apparent refusal to recognize the House’s authority during budget deliberations.

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LIST: What are the issues raised in Sara Duterte impeachment complaints?

The initiation of the impeachment proceedings against the Vice President comes just hours before her detained father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, undergoes a pre-trial hearing at the International Criminal Court in The Hague to confirm the charges against him. – Rappler.com