Vice President Sara Duterte made history Monday after becoming the first Philippine official to be impeached twice following a decisive vote by the House of Representatives.
A total of 255 lawmakers voted in favor of approving the House justice committee report recommending Duterte’s impeachment, while 26 voted against and nine abstained.
The number exceeded the constitutional requirement of at least one-third of all House members, or 106 votes, needed to impeach a national official.
House justice committee chairperson Gerville Luistro defended the panel’s recommendation during plenary deliberations.
“Ang tanong lamang na nasa harap natin ngayon, ang tanong ngayon ay may sapat bang dahilan kung dapat ituloy ang paglilitis sa Senado?” Luistro said.
The impeachment articles against Duterte include allegations involving misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, alleged monetary gifts to Department of Education officials, and controversial statements interpreted as threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
The approved articles of impeachment include:
- Alleged misuse of confidential funds amounting to P612.5 million while serving as Vice President and Education Secretary
- Alleged discrepancies between Duterte’s SALN declarations and reported bank transactions
- Alleged monetary gifts to Department of Education officials
- Alleged threats against President Marcos, the First Lady, and Romualdez, including accusations of inciting sedition
Most allegations were also included in the impeachment complaints filed last year, though this year’s proceedings involved lengthy House hearings and subpoenaed documents presented before lawmakers.
Duterte and her legal team did not attend the House hearings and instead issued general denials through statements and media appearances.
The House is now expected to transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate, which will convene as an impeachment court.
Questions remain, however, over how quickly proceedings will move following the recent leadership change in the Senate, where Senator Alan Peter Cayetano replaced Senator Tito Sotto as Senate president.
Under the Constitution, at least 16 senators must vote to convict Duterte. She only needs nine votes to avoid removal from office.
Several senators are widely viewed as allies or sympathetic to Duterte, including Senators Imee Marcos, Robin Padilla, Bong Go, Ronald dela Rosa, and Rodante Marcoleta.
The impeachment case is expected to shape the country’s political landscape ahead of the 2028 presidential elections, where Duterte had earlier been floated as a possible contender.
