2026 efforts to impeach Sara Duterte

2026 efforts to impeach Sara Duterte
Akbayan members, Mamamayang Liberal members, and others giving a thumbs down and filing the 2nd impeachment complaint.
AccusedSara Duterte, 15th Vice President of the Philippines
DateFebruary 2, 2026 (2026-02-02) – present
(1 month, 3 weeks and 2 days)

On February 2, 2026, there have been renewed efforts to remove Sara Duterte as vice president of the Philippines through impeachment.

Duterte was earlier successfully impeached by the House of Representatives on February 5, 2025, transmitting the articles of impeachment to the Senate for a trial. However, the Senate convened as an impeachment court on June 10, 2025 only to remand the articles back to the lower house. The Supreme Court in July 2025 declared the impeachment complaint as unconstitutional after the earlier three complaints triggered the one-year constitutional ban effectively aborting the trial.

Following the lapse of the one-year constitutional ban, at least two new complaints were filed against Duterte to impeach her for a second time.

The four impeachment complaints against Duterte have been formally initiated on February 23, 2026 after being referred to the House Committee on Justice.[1]

Background

Main article: Impeachment of Sara Duterte

2025 impeachment

Vice President Sara Duterte was initially impeached by the House of Representatives on February 5, 2025 and was backed by 215 members of the lower house, paving way for a potential trial by the Senate acting as an impeachment court.[2] The impeachment complaint followed three earlier complaints in December 2024.[3]

There are three methods to impeach an official.[4]

  • A member of the House of Representatives files a verified complaint.
  • A private citizen–upon a resolution of endorsement by any House member files a verified complaint
  • At least one-third of all House members will file verified complaint or resolution of impeachment

The 2025 impeachment of Duterte went through the third route.[4]

Senate President Chiz Escudero maintained that the Senate cannot start the proceedings until after the Congress reconvenes on June 2, 2025.[5][6] The Senate did not start the trial despite proponents of the impeachment trial insisting that the Constitution obliges that a "trial by the Senate shall proceed forthwith," or as soon as possible.[7] Pressure on the Senate persisted until at least June.[8][9][10][11]

The trial formally commenced on June 10, 2025, with Escudero administered the oath to the rest of the twenty-two senators.[12] The Senate, however, voted to remand the impeachment complaint back to the House of Representatives asking for the lower house to certify the complaint as compliant with the one-year ban and communicating the yet to be-convened 20th Congress of the lower house if it is willing to move forward with the proceedings.[13]

Supreme Court ruling

The Supreme Court unanimously nullified the impeachment complaint on July 25, 2025, ruling that it was "unconstitutional".[14] The Court stated that the "one year-bar rule" was already covered by the first three impeachment cases, rendering the fourth one invalid.[15] No trial before the Senate will be held as a result, as the chamber cannot acquire jurisdiction as per the court ruling.[16]

The House of Representatives filed a motion for reconsideration on August 4, 2025 against the Supreme Court ruling. It argued that the lower legislature has the exclusive power to initiate an impeachment proceedings. It argued that the court's own precedent Francisco v. House states that only one impeachment can be initiated, and that initiation begins with a one-third endorsement or a referral.[17]

On January 28, 2026, the high court en banc dismissed the motion of reconsideration with finality. It also defined session days as a "mean a calendar day in which the House of Representatives holds a session" and does not mean legislative session days.[18]

2026 efforts

The impeachment proceedings are expected to take longer than last year. The complaints will be evaluated by the House of Representatives Committee on Justice whether such complaints are sufficient in substance.[19][20]

It is unclear however when the one-year ban was counted from. The July 2025, ruling states that new impeachment complaints against Duterte can only be filed on February 6, 2026. However the January 2026 resolution states "the 10 session days should be reckoned from the filing and endorsement of the first impeachment complaint on December 2, 2024" which meant that the first complaint was deemed initiated on January 14, 2025 which meant the prohibition lapsed on January 15, 2026.[20]

Duterte formally announced her presidential campaign for the 2028 election on February 18, 2026.[21][22]

Complaints

Filing

On February 2, 2026, two impeachment complaints was filed against Vice President Sara Duterte. The first came from the Makabayan bloc and the second came from a group led by Tindig Pilipinas, Akbayan and Mamamayang Liberal (ML).[20] The two complaints were verified and transmitted to House speaker Bojie Dy on February 5.[23] A third impeachment complaint by religious leaders against Duterte was filed on February 9.[24] A fourth complaint was filed by lawyer Nathaniel Cabrera on February 18 and was transmitted to Dy's office the following day.[25]

The four impeachment complaints all cites Duterte's alleged misuse of confidential funds, non-declaration of her assets, abuse of power, bribery, and threatening the lives of officials including President Marcos himself.[25] The referral of the complaints to the House Committee on Justice on February 23, 2026 marked the official initiation of impeachment proceedings, activating the one-year ban on filing raps against the vice president.[1]

The complaints cites the testimony of former Duterte aide Ramil Madriaga where he alleged the vice president ordered him to transport large amounts of money.[26]

Verified impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte
No. Petitioners Endorsers Status
1 Makabayan
Set aside
2 Tindig Pilipinas, Akbayan and Mamamayang Liberal
Withdrawn
3 Religious sector Leila de Lima (ML) Active
4 Nathaniel Cabrera
Active

Sufficiency in form

On March 2, 2026, the second complaint of Tindig, Akbayan and ML were withdrawn in a bid to expedite the impeachment process and threw support for the third impeachment complaint.[27] The Makabayan bloc's impeachment complaint was set aside for allegedly violating the one-year bar rule with some lawmakers arguing that the earliest complaint could be filed after the 2025 impeachment was on February 6, 2026.[28]The third and fourth complaints were ruled "sufficient in form".[29]

Sufficiency in substance

On March 4, 2026, the House Committee on Justice ruled that two impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte were sufficient in substance, allowing the proceedings to advance.[30] Duterte was formally notified on March 5 and required to submit her response to the complaints within 10 days. Duterte filled her official response on March 16, and was allowed to make a response a day later since March 15 fell on a Sunday.[30][31]

Sufficiency in grounds

On March 18, 2026, the two impeachment complaints against Sara Duterte were found sufficient in grounds by the House Committee on Justice, authorizing Congress to proceed to a hearing proper. This came after the Vice President submitted her Answer Ad Cautelam, which the House panel noted failed to address the allegations against her.[32][33]

Stances

The second largest bloc in the House of Representatives after Lakas CMD, the National Unity Party has stated on February 25 that it would "most likely not vote in favor" of Duterte's impeachment unless new evidence was brought up.[34] NUP chair Ronaldo Puno clarified that it was just a consensus among its party members and that it is not an official stance of the party. He said that members are allowed to exercise their conscience vote on the matter.[35]

References

  1. ^ a b Lalu, Gabriel Pabico (February 23, 2026). "Impeachment initiated: Raps vs Sara Duterte sent to House justice panel". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  2. ^ "House impeaches VP Sara Duterte". ABS-CBN. February 5, 2025. Archived from the original on February 5, 2025. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  3. ^ de Villa, Kathleen; Torres-Tupas, Tetch (January 30, 2026). "SC still unanimous: VP impeachment void". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  4. ^ a b Quismorio, Ellson (January 21, 2026). "Impeachment explainer: The 3 modes, examples, and impact of 2025 SC ruling". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  5. ^ Ager, Maila (February 5, 2025). "Senate goes on break without tackling impeach bid vs VP Duterte". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  6. ^ Garner, Jom; Kabagani, Lade Jean (February 7, 2025). "Senate will act only on 2 June — Chiz". Daily Tribune. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  7. ^ Bautista, Jane; Santos, Tina (February 10, 2025). "Carpio: Special session possible for GAA, VP trial". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on February 10, 2025. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  8. ^ Cariaso, Bella (June 10, 2025). "Senate urged: Proceed forthwith with impeach trial". The Philippine Star. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  9. ^ Cordero, Ted (June 10, 2025). "PH's oldest business group adds pressure for VP's impeachment trial to begin". GMA News. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  10. ^ Esmaquel, Paterno II (June 10, 2025). "CBCP tells senators: Let Duterte's impeachment trial proceed". Rappler. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  11. ^ "Philippine senators split over legality of delaying Duterte's impeachment trial". South China Morning Post. June 9, 2025. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  12. ^ Abarca, Charie (June 10, 2025). "Sara Duterte on trial: 22 senators take oath as senator-judges". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  13. ^ Abarca, Charie (June 10, 2025). "Impeachment court sends Sara Duterte case back to House". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  14. ^ Flores, Dominique Nicole; Laqui, Ian. "'Unconstitutional': Supreme Court bars impeachment vs VP Sara Duterte". The Philippine Star. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  15. ^ Bolledo, Jairo (July 25, 2025). "Supreme Court bars Sara impeachment, can be refiled next year". Rappler. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  16. ^ Casilao, Joahna Lei (July 25, 2025). "SC declares Articles of Impeachment vs. Sara Duterte unconstitutional". GMA News Online. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  17. ^ Lalu, Gabriel Pabico (August 4, 2025). "House appeals SC ruling on Sara Duterte impeachment case". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  18. ^ Ayalin, Adrian; Delgado, Harlene; Gulla, Vivienne (January 29, 2025). "Supreme Court affirms Sara Duterte impeachment unconstitutional". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  19. ^ Mateo, Janvic; Cariaso, Bella (February 5, 2026). "Longer impeach process vs VP Sara seen". The Philippine Star. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  20. ^ a b c Argosino, Faith; Lalu, Gabriel Pabico (February 3, 2026). "Two impeach raps filed vs VP Sara Duterte as 1-year bar ends". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  21. ^ Lalu, Gabriel Pabico (February 20, 2026). "Sara Duterte's presidency bid won't make impeachment harder – Luistro". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  22. ^ Kapoor, Mahima (February 18, 2026). "Philippines VP Sara Duterte announces 2028 presidential run". dw.com. AFP, Reuters. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  23. ^ Rita, Joviland (February 6, 2026). "VP Sara Duterte impeach raps transmitted to House Speaker". GMA News Online. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  24. ^ Quismorio, Ellson (February 9, 2026). "Familiar faces lodge 3rd impeachment rap vs VP Duterte". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  25. ^ a b Lalu, Gabriel Pabico (February 19, 2026). "4th impeachment rap vs Sara Duterte transmitted to Speaker Dy's office". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
  26. ^ Lalu, Gabriel Pabico (March 16, 2026). "Sara Duterte lawyers hit 'double standards' in treatment of impeach raps". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  27. ^ Flores, Dominique Nicole (March 2, 2026). "2nd impeach complaint vs Sara Duterte withdrawn as backers unite behind third". The Philippine Star. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  28. ^ Lalu, Gabriel Pabico (March 2, 2026). "1st impeach rap vs VP Duterte set aside for violating one-year bar rule". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  29. ^ Mendoza, John Eric (March 2, 2026). "House panel declares impeachment raps vs Sara Duterte sufficient in form". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  30. ^ a b Gulla, Vivienne (March 4, 2026). "House panel: Sara Duterte impeachment complaints 'sufficient in substance'". ABS-CBN News.
  31. ^ Lalu, Gabriel Pabico (March 16, 2026). "VP Duterte files official reply to impeachment raps, says Ridon". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  32. ^ Panti, Llanesca T. (March 18, 2026). "Impeach raps vs. VP Sara sufficient in grounds, trial proper next —House panel". GMA News. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  33. ^ Gulla, Vivienne (March 18, 2026). "House panel finds Sara Duterte impeachment complaints 'sufficient in grounds', to start 'hearing proper' on March 25". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  34. ^ de Leon, Dwight (February 26, 2026). "Sara impeachment 2.0 bid in House stumbles after NUP signals no support". Rappler. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  35. ^ Lalu, Gabriel Pabico (February 27, 2026). "NUP chair walks back party statement on VP impeach raps". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.