2 raps vs Sara found ‘sufficient in substance’
The House committee on justice on Wednesday declared the fourth impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte to be sufficient in substance, in addition to the third complaint that earlier passed the sufficiency test.
The proceedings will now move forward with the committee expected to ask Duterte to answer the two complaints within 10 calendar days upon receipt of a notice.
A total of 54 committee members voted to declare the fourth complaint, filed by lawyer Nathaniel Cabrera, adequate in merit; only one voted Quezon City Rep. Bong Suntay, voted against it. There was no abstention.
The same number of lawmakers earlier voted to declare the third complaint, which was filed by a group of clergymen and lawyers, also sufficient in substance.
With the two remaining complaints passing the panel’s scrutiny, committee vice chair and San Juan Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora moved that a notice be issued to Duterte.
“In view of the finding of the sufficiency in substance of the two impeachment complaints, 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,” Zamora said.
The motion was approved by committee chair and Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro after it was properly seconded; there was no objection.
Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima endorsed the third complaint, while Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V and Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. sponsored the fourth complaint.
Different route
The process for the new complaints against the Vice President differs from last year, when the articles of impeachment were directly transmitted to the Senate after securing the endorsement of more than two-thirds of the House membership.
The complaint, however, was later declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court for violating the one-year bar rule on filings.
Rule II of the House’s Rules of Procedure in Impeachment Proceedings states that an impeachment complaint can be filed through three modes: by any House member, by any citizen with the endorsement by any member, or by at least one-third of all members.
This time, four complaints were referred to the justice committee. But the complainants behind the second, led by Tindig Pilipinas co-convenor Kiko Aquino Dee, submitted a letter to the Office of the House Secretary General and appeared before the committee on Monday to withdraw their case. The group said it will instead support the third complaint to expedite the proceedings.
The panel voted 22-10 also on Monday to dismiss the first complaint filed by the Makabayan bloc for violating the one-year prohibition.
Grounds
The fourth complaint against the Vice President cites seven grounds, similar to the impeachment complaint filed by 215 lawmakers on Feb. 5, 2025:
- Culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes due to the assassination plot, sedition, and subversion of constitutional order;
- Betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption due to the misuse and malversation of confidential funds;
- Graft and corruption, bribery, procurement irregularities, command responsibility due to her disbursement of public funds to unauthorized recipients;
- Bribery, procurement irregularities, and related corruption for bribing Department of Education (DepEd) officials through monetary gifts;
- Unexplained wealth, violations of statement of assets and liabilities, bank records, and financial forensics;
- High crimes, pattern of abuse, threats, incitement, and interference with civilian supremacy; and
- Pattern of abuse and cumulative misconduct doctrine.
Impeachment rules
Under the House rules, once a complaint is deemed sufficient in substance, the committee on justice would give the respondent a copy of the complaint.
The respondent official is allowed to give a reply within 10 calendar days from receipt of the notice, after which the complainants can also file theirs.
After receiving the replies, the committee will hold a hearing and submit a report to the House regarding its findings and recommendations within 60 session days from the date of referral.
“Together with the report shall be a formal resolution of the Committee regarding the disposition of the complaint which shall be calendared for consideration by the House within ten (10) session days from receipt thereof,” the rules further state.
Any decision from the committee would be up for plenary consideration, with a one-third nominal vote needed to approve the recommendation, whether to impeach the official or dismiss the complaints. If the recommendation to impeach is approved, the resolution will be forwarded to the Senate.
No jurisdiction?
Also on Wednesday, before the committee vote, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez reiterated that the panel had no jurisdiction over Duterte’s alleged violations when she was concurrently serving as education secretary.
“The case of Duterte vs. House of Representatives clearly states that the impeachable offenses must relate to the acts of the position and the office where the person is sought to be impeached, and we’re not going to impeach a secretary of a department here,” Rodriguez said.
But Manila Rep. Joel Chua countered that the chamber should not distinguish between Duterte the Vice President and Duterte the former education secretary since they are the same person.
Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. supported this view, saying the “technical argument […] intentionally confuses the position held with the person holding it.”
“I also saw what we call the single personality doctrine, this is the point here. You are not impeaching a secretary, you are impeaching the Vice President for her conduct while in public service. The Vice President does not have any split personality,” Abante said.
He added that Duterte should be considered a single impeachable official because, “whether she is performing her duties [in] the OVP or at DepEd, she remains the Vice President of the Philippines.”
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