Congress panel finds impeachment complaints against the Vice President sufficient to move to the next level

Vice President Sara Duterte was also impeached in the last Congress in 2025 but the Supreme Court stopped the Senate trial based on technicality.

Vice President Sara Duterte at Iligan City to visit residents affected by Typhoon Basyang. Photo from Inday Sara Duterte Facebook page.

Manuel Mogato | March 5, 2026

Manila — Voting 54-1 at the House Justice Committee, the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte will move to the next level, allowing her to respond to allegations of bribery, betrayal of public trust, and culpable violation of the Constitution.

Only Quezon City Congressman Jesus Suntay opposed the motion.

The House Justice Committee approved two impeachment complaints, the third and fourth, rejected the first and the second was withdrawn.

Both complaints were found to be sufficient in form and substance, moving the process to allow the vice president to respond before witnesses will be called to affirm their testimonies.

“I move to issue notice to the vice president, to the respondent in the impeachment complaints, to file her answer to the impeachment complaints within the non-extendible period of 10 calendar days from receipt of this notice,” San Juan Congresswoman Ysabel Maria Zamora motioned before the justice committee.

The committee chairperson, Batangas Congresswoman Gerville Luistro, approved the motion with no objections.

The committee will prepare the articles of impeachment, the actual charges, and present them at the plenary session for a vote. A one-third vote, or about 105 congressmen, is needed to impeach Duterte, sending the charge for trial to the Senate.

Duterte was also impeached in the last Congress in 2025 but the Supreme Court stopped the Senate trial based on technicality.

President Ferdinand Marcos was, at first, lukewarm in impeaching Duterte, his running mate in the 2022 elections.

But relations between Marcos and Duterte worsened after the vice president’s father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, was handed over to the International Criminal Court in The Hague in March 2025.

He remained in detention and may face trial soon for crimes against humanity.