MANILA, Philippines — In a major step toward a potential impeachment trial, the House Committee on Justice on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, declared the third and fourth impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte as “sufficient in substance.”
The panel, chaired by Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro, saw an overwhelming majority in favor of the motions.
- Support: 54 lawmakers voted to move the complaints forward.
- Opposition: Only one lawmaker, Quezon City Rep. Bong Suntay, voted against.
- Abstentions: None.
The two validated complaints cover a wide range of serious charges, including:
- Misuse of Funds: Alleged malversation of P500 million in OVP confidential funds (2022–2023) and P112.5 million in DepEd confidential funds (2023).
- Assassination Plot: Claims of a “contract to murder” or plot against President Marcos, the First Lady, and the former House Speaker.
- Betrayal of Public Trust: Alleged bribery of DepEd officials and procurement irregularities.
- Unexplained Wealth: Alleged failure to fully disclose assets in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN).
- Political Destabilization: Charges of sedition, insurrection, and subverting the constitutional order.
Following the declaration, the committee directed Vice President Duterte to respond.
- 10-Day Deadline: Duterte has a non-extendible period of 10 calendar days from receipt of the notice to file her formal answer.
- Rebuttals: Complainants will have 3 days to reply to her answer, followed by another 3 days for Duterte to file a rejoinder.
- The “One-Third” Rule: Once hearings are complete, the committee will submit a report to the House Plenary. If at least one-third (approx. 100 members) of the House of Representatives votes to impeach, the case will immediately move to the Senate for a full trial.
Originally, four complaints were filed. The second was withdrawn to support the third, while the first (filed by the Makabayan Coalition) was dismissed for allegedly violating the “one-year bar” rule against filing multiple impeachment cases within the same year.