House Secretary General Reginald Velasco confirmed that 215 out of 316 members of the House of Representatives signed a fourth impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday, February 5 — the last session day before Congress adjourns on Saturday, February 8 — on the grounds of violation of the Constitution, bribery, graft, corruption, betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes.
On Wednesday afternoon, Zamboanga City Representative and Majority Leader Manuel Dalipe announced at the House floor that Duterte had been impeached, with Congress having exceeded the one-third votes needed to take an impeachment case to the Senate for trial.
Senate Secretary Renato Bantug received the Articles of Impeachment late afternoon on Wednesday but did not report it to the plenary, which adjourned at 7 p.m.
In a briefing on Thursday, February 6, Senate President Francis Escudero said that the Senate can only act on the impeachment complaint against the vice president on June 2, when Congress resumes after the midterm elections.
But Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel said that it is still possible for the Senate to tackle Duterte’s impeachment during the break if the Senate unanimously decides it. “Very extraordinary situation ‘yong sinasabi ko,” Pimentel said. “If no one will raise an issue, or object or cite any violation of the rules, e di valid siya. The rules can be waived.”
Marcos Allies and Mindanao Representatives
In November 2024, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directed Congress not to file impeachment complaints against Duterte after she threatened to assassinate him, First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and Marcos’ cousin House Speaker and Leyte Representative Martin Romualdez in an online press conference.
Despite the directive, Marcos’ son, Ilocos Norte Representative Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos, was the first to sign the impeachment complaint, while Romualdez was last to sign the complaint. Romualdez’s wife, Tingog Representative Yedda Romualdez, also signed the impeachment complaint.
Other notable Marcos allies who signed the impeachment complaint include Cavite Representative Aniela Tolentino, Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) Representative Raymond Democrito Mendoza, and North Cotabato Representative Alana Santos.
More than two-thirds of Mindanao representatives voted to have Duterte impeached. Among the 41 out of 61 representatives is John Tracy Cagas, who represents Duterte’s home turf of Davao del Sur. Cagas is also the only signatory out of 11 representatives from the Davao region.
Neither Davao Oriental Cheeno Miguel Almario nor his wife PBA Rep. Margarita Nograles Almario — members of the Almario clan rivaling the Dutertes — signed the complaint.
‘Sham Impeachment’
Paolo Duterte, the vice president’s brother, said that he was “appalled and enraged by the desperate and politically motivated efforts to railroad the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte.” In a statement, the Davao City representative added that the Marcos administration is treading on “dangerous ground,” and that the impeachment was a “reckless abuse of power.”
“If they were unfazed by the over one million rallying supporters of the Iglesia Ni Cristo, then they are blindly marching toward an even greater storm — one that could shake the very foundation of their rule,” he said.
“The Filipino people will not sit idly by as this government undermines democracy and silences opposition through fabricated accusations. If the Marcos administration thinks it can push this sham impeachment without consequence, they are gravely mistaken.”
