An impeachment complaint against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was filed Monday, Jan. 19, at the House of Representatives, citing alleged graft and corruption, culpable violation of the Constitution, and betrayal of public trust.
The verified complaint was submitted by lawyer Andre R. de Jesus and endorsed by Deputy Minority Leader and Pusong Pinoy Party-list Rep. Jernie Jett Nisay. This is the first impeachment complaint filed against Marcos since he assumed office.
In the 12-page filing, de Jesus alleged that Marcos ordered and enabled the arrest and surrender of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to the International Criminal Court, a move he described as “kidnapping.”
Duterte was taken to the ICC in The Hague in March 2025 in connection with investigations into the controversial war on drugs during his presidency.
“The arrest and transfer were carried out despite the continued operation of Philippine courts, proving that Respondent deliberately resorted to foreign intervention and completely ignored domestic legal processes,” the complaint read.
Alleged illegal drug use
The filing also claimed that Marcos was unfit to serve as president due to alleged illegal drug use, which it said impaired his judgment and leadership. It cited public statements attributed to his sister, Sen. Imee Marcos, and pointed to the president’s alleged refusal to submit to a drug test as evidence of a lack of transparency and accountability.
In November last year, Sen. Imee publicly accused her brother and the First Family of using illegal drugs during a massive Iglesia ni Cristo rally that drew roughly half a million attendees.
The complaint also claimed that Marcos failed to veto provisions in the General Appropriations Acts for 2023–2026 that it described as unconstitutional, including unprogrammed appropriations that exceeded constitutional limits on public spending.
It further alleged that the president personally benefited from kickbacks tied to budget insertions and so-called ghost flood control projects, actions de Jesus argued amounted to graft and corruption.
“Former AKO BICOL Partylist Rep. Elizaldy Co stated that funds from flood control projects were delivered to Respondent’s allies,” it read.
Additionally, the filing stated that Marcos created the Integrity Commission Initiative to shield political allies said to have been involved in corruption.
In a resolution endorsing the complaint, Nisay, who is also the owner of JVN Construction and Trading, cited Article XI of the Constitution, which grants the House of Representatives the exclusive power to initiate impeachment cases and allows citizens to file verified complaints upon endorsement by a House member. The endorsement called for the complaint to be included in the Order of Business and referred to the House Committee on Justice.
