The Tamesis
February 11, 2026
Manila – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. officially fended off a first impeachment attempt after 284 House members voted on Tuesday to adopt a Judiciary Committee report declaring two charges against him materially insufficient.
Eight other MPs voted against the move and four abstained. The vote means an impeachment complaint filed by lawyer Andre de Jesus and the progressive Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) alliance is considered officially dead in the lower house, dominated by the president’s allies. However, minority lawmakers believe that Bayan’s complaint should at least pass muster with the Judiciary Committee led by Batangas Rep. Gervais Luistro.
The Presidential Palace, which reached out for comment, welcomed the development, saying the president was “pleased that 284 members of the House of Representatives believed the truth and decided to dismiss the impeachment complaint against him.”
READ: Marcos impeachment talks hit first hurdle as Solon disagrees over document inspection
“Right now, the president’s focus is on moving forward and continuing to work. He is concentrating on implementing economic plans to improve the lives of every Filipino family,” presidential press officer Claire Castro said in a message to reporters.
“Political Theater”
Speaking at the scene launching Commission Report No. 11, Luistro urged her colleagues to dismiss the complaints and “not indulge in [the complainants] For political drama. “
She maintained the argument during the committee’s deliberations that both complaints failed to meet the standard of a narrative of conclusive facts supported by personal knowledge and authentic records, “as opposed to hearsay and speculation,” and thus failed to meet the sufficiency determination of the substance test.
“In this hall, the interests of the Filipino people must always come first. Otherwise, impeachment is downgraded from a constitutional guarantee to a weapon of harassment,” Luistro said.
As for the DeJesus complaint backed by Rep. Jett Nisay, Luistro said the panel found no solid factual basis to support its grounds for impeachment, including allegations related to foreign policy decisions, alleged drug use, budget veto issues, graft and corruption and the creation of an independent commission on infrastructure.
Luistro said the committee also declared that the Bayan complaint endorsed by the Makabayan group was insufficient on substance, particularly with regard to the so-called “BBM parameter formula” that defines the allocable budget of the Ministry of Public Works and Highways, and held that “imperfect policy direction is not an impeachable offense.”
Get the support of the majority
The largest political blocs in the House of Representatives – Lacasse-CMD, National Unity Party, Philippine Federal Party, Nationalist People’s Alliance and Partisan Alliance Foundation (PCFI) – all supported the committee’s report and urged each other to refocus on their legislative mandates, especially as the government is in turmoil.
“With the country currently facing many challenges, the Filipino people expect this Congress to remain focused on its work, passing laws, addressing economic issues, and responding to the needs of its constituents,” said Manila Rep. Rolando Valeriano.
“PCFI believes this is a time to heal and unite, not to deepen political divisions,” echoed Rep. Brian Poe, FPJ Bayanihan. “Our country is currently at a critical juncture economically. The call of the times is to shift our full attention to the urgent needs of the Filipino people.”
premature dismissal
This is in stark contrast to the performance of the Makabayan bloc, which consists of ACT Teacher Rep. Antonio Tinio, Gabriela Rep. Sarah Elago and Kabataan Rep. Renee Co, as well as opposition Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima and Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice, who all believed it was premature for the House majority to dismiss the valid allegations in Bayan’s complaint.
Tinio said that if the hearings proceed, they will cite records of communications between Mr. Marcos and Adrian Carlos Bersamin, deputy secretary of the Office of Presidential Legislative Liaison, from December 2024 to July 2025, to provide evidence that Mr. Marcos did have knowledge of the kickback scheme in government projects.
Tinio added that the communications, held by Batangas Rep. Leandro Leveste and seen by other lawmakers, including Ellis, contained “strong evidence that the president was aware of corrupt practices and directly participated in and received kickbacks.”
Several MPs and former officials at the Department of Public Works and Highways are facing charges for allegedly allowing kickbacks from unusual government infrastructure projects.
