The Tamesis
February 24, 2026
Manila – Impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte have officially begun as the House Rules Committee sent four articles of impeachment to the Judiciary Committee on Monday.
Four impeachment complaints were formally placed on the agenda during Monday’s plenary session.
Thereafter, Deputy Speaker Feyenel Biron, who presided over the meeting, forwarded the four complaints to the Judiciary Committee.
The transfer triggered a one-year embargo, meaning the next impeachment proceedings against Duterte can only begin a year later.
After sending the impeachment complaints to the judicial panel, committee members will next determine whether they are sufficient in form and substance.
In a statement to reporters, Judiciary Committee Chairman and Batangas Rep. Gervais Luistro said the panel would “immediately take action on the impeachment complaint forwarded by the House of Representatives.”
Luistro said complaints against Duterte would receive the same treatment as those against President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
“The Judiciary Committee will take immediate action on the four impeachment complaints filed. The impeachment complaints against the President will be subject to the same procedures and parameters as the impeachment complaints against the President,” she said.
Luistro had already explained on Friday that a determination of substantial sufficiency would be made for each of the grounds cited in the complaint.
READ: Sara Duterte’s presidential bid won’t make impeachment more difficult – Luistro
Pursuant to the House Rules of the 19th Congress adopted by the 20th Congress, specifically Rule 2 of the Rules of Impeachment Procedure, if the Judiciary Committee determines that the complaint is sufficient in form and substance, a hearing will be held to determine probable cause.
The matter will be resolved within 60 meeting days after the complaint is submitted to the Commission.
If the rapper fails this test, the committee will recommend dismissal of the complaint.
The rules state: “The Committee on the Judiciary, after hearing the comments and by a majority vote of all members, shall submit a report containing its findings and recommendations to the House of Representatives within sixty (60) conference days of the submission of the verified complaint and/or resolution to the House.”
“Along with the report shall be a formal resolution of the committee on the handling of the complaint, which resolution shall be considered by the House of Representatives within ten (10) sitting days of receipt of the report,” it added.
Any decision by the committee will go before the plenary, where a one-third nominal vote is needed to approve the recommendation – whether to impeach an official or dismiss a complaint.
If the impeachment recommendation is approved, the resolution will be sent to the Senate.
Earlier, Mamamaya Liberal MP Leila de Lima said the impeachment complaint would be presented to the Judiciary Committee when the House of Representatives resumes session.
De Lima said in an interview with Ambush after members of the House Rules Committee met on the agenda that the panel approved the inclusion of four raps in the order of business.
De Lima is deputy minority leader and a member of the Rules Committee.
The four complaints against Duterte have some similarities, as they are largely based on her threats to senior officials including Ferdinand Marcos Jr., alleged misuse of confidential funds (CF), failure to declare her assets, abuse of power, bribery of officials, etc.
READ: Another impeachment charge against Sara Duterte
The third complaint was filed on February 9 and the fourth on February 18 – just hours after Duterte announced his intention to run for president in 2028.
On February 5, 2025, 215 members of the House of Representatives submitted and signed the fourth complaint against Duterte, and subsequently the House of Representatives of the 19th Congress impeached Duterte.
The complaint centers on allegations of CF abuse, threats against senior officials and other possible violations of the 1987 Constitution in her office.
The articles of impeachment were immediately forwarded to the Senate on the same day, as the 1987 Constitution requires that a trial must begin immediately if at least one-third of the House supports the complaint.
But last year on July 25, 2025, the Supreme Court (SC) declared that the article of impeachment was deemed unconstitutional as it violated the one-year prohibition of the 1987 Constitution.
