The impeachment complaint, filed by an alliance of civil society groups, was endorsed by the opposition Akbayan party-list on the same day. It remains uncertain whether it will receive the support of one-third of lawmakers needed to advance to a Senate trial.
VP Sara Duterte Faces Impeachment Complaint
While President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s allies hold a majority in the House of Representatives, he has publicly dismissed such efforts as a waste of time.
“That was a consideration of our complainants,” said Akbayan party-list Rep. Perci Cendaña, referring to Marcos’ statement.
“But as we always say, the loyalty of those who filed the complaint is not to the administration, but to the public demanding accountability,” he told TeleRadyo Serbisyo.
Marcos Calls Impeachment Effort ‘a Storm in a Teacup’, Urges Lawmakers Not to File Impeachment Raps
Cendaña mentioned that he has not spoken with House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Marcos’ cousin, about the impeachment bid.
“We hope that eventually the Speaker will give a fair chance in terms of the processes of Congress... We will diligently exercise our constitutional function,” Cendaña said.
“The House has shown integrity in the past and we hope that kind of performance will again be manifested in this impeachment,” he added.
VP Sara Duterte Silent on Marcos Jr.'s Recent Impeachment Remarks
Cendaña reported that some of his fellow lawmakers thanked him on Monday for endorsing the impeachment complaint.
“Unofficially, they have expressed support for the impeachment complaint,” he said, without providing an exact number of backers.
“We hope to quickly gather the 105 votes needed... We are confident that the House will make the right decision on this,” he added.
The complaint seeks Duterte's impeachment on grounds of "culpable violation of the constitution, graft and corruption, bribery, betrayal of public trust and other high crimes," Akbayan said in a statement.
According to the 1987 Constitution and House Rules, if the verified complaint is filed by at least one-third of all House members, the plenary will endorse the articles of impeachment to the Senate.
However, since the impeachment complaint against the Vice President was endorsed by only one congressman, it must go through the House Committee on Justice, which will determine its sufficiency in form and substance, as well as hold public hearings and evidence review.
The House Speaker has a maximum of 10 session days from receipt of a verified impeachment complaint to include it in the order of business, and another three session days to refer it to the House Committee on Justice. The committee will have up to 60 session days from referral to submit its findings and recommendations to the House plenary, which shall be calendared for consideration by the house within 10 session days from receipt.
The House will go on break on December 18 and resume session on January 13 until February 7, before going on a nearly four-month break.
Despite the tight timeline, Cendaña said, “I am confident that Congress can manage the time we have... Congress has shown it can be expedient for urgent measures—especially this one, a measure for accountability.”
“If our colleagues in Congress find this compelling and strong, I'm sure they will make time and necessary adjustments to finish this as soon as possible,” he added.
The complaint adds to Duterte's legal woes as she faces a probe into her alleged death threat against Marcos and another inquiry into her use of government funds.
The Vice President insisted that she was being politically harassed for being a "threat" in the 2028 presidential elections.
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