4th complaint transmitted to Senate for impeachment trial

The House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte in a historic decision supported by 215 lawmakers – more than double the required one-third vote to bypass deliberations at the committee level – and immediately transmitted the verified fourth complaint resolution to the Senate on the same day.

Presidential son and Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos led the list of solons who crossed party lines in endorsing the fourth complaint that cited a series of grave allegations, including conspiracy to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., large-scale corruption, abuse of public funds, and involvement in extrajudicial killings.

During the plenary session, House Majority Leader Mannix Dalipe said the number of endorsers exceeded the one-third threshold required under the Constitution and House rules on impeachment proceedings for the immediate transmittal to the Senate.

“There is a motion to direct the Secretary General to immediately endorse to the Senate the impeachment complaint having been filed by more than one-third of the membership of the House or a total of members. Is there any objection? The chair hears none. The motion is approved,” Speaker Martin Romualdez said.

“This is about upholding the Constitution and ensuring that no public official, regardless of their position, is above the law,” Romualdez added.

With her impeachment, Duterte became one of only four high-ranking officials to share that fate since the country returned to democracy in 1986 – former President Joseph Estrada in 2000, former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez in 2011, and the late Chief Justice Renato Corona in 2011.

The fourth impeachment complaint against Duterte revolved around six major allegations, including the alleged malversation of P612.5 million in confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education which she used to head.

It also raised the Vice President’s alleged unexplained wealth and failure to disclose assets, noting how her net worth quadrupled from 2007 to 2017 without a legitimate increase in income.

A two-thirds vote by the Senate is required to convict and remove Duterte from office. If convicted, she will also be permanently barred from holding any public office in the future.

Senator Joel Villanueva, however, said the complaint will have to go through a long process before trial can begin at the Upper Chamber.

“It is in our agenda? It is not. So will it be included in the reference of business? And if it is included, the next step is will it be read? Where will it be referred? That’s the process,” he said.

Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, a Duterte ally, said the discussions regarding the impeachment will likely take place in the plenary after the upcoming 2025 midterm elections as Congress adjourned yesterday.

“Most likely, the earliest we will tackle that in the plenary is after the elections. Based on what we discussed earlier, it seems that we will address that after the elections,” he said.

Senate President Francis Escudero is set to hold a press briefing today (Thursday) to shed light on the fate of the impeachment proceedings.

At a rally outside the House of Representatives, student protester Darlene Cerico told Agence France Presse the impeachment vote represented a major victory, if an incomplete one.

“I feel so happy because this proves the power of collective action. We know there are still many things to accomplish … to fully hold Sara Duterte accountable,” Cerico said.

The Akbayan party-list group called the impeachment “the beginning of the Duterte dynasty’s expiration from power, impunity, and plunder.”

Akbayan Rep. Perci Cendaña, endorser of the first impeachment complaint, said the historic move was a decisive victory for the Filipino people and a clear warning to those who abuse power.

“This impeachment is the people’s verdict against the Dutertes’ long-standing corruption and lack of accountability. The message is clear: the era of impunity is ending, and those who plunder and oppress will be held to account,” Cendaña said.

Whether 16 senators cast their vote for Duterte’s impeachment could come down to President Marcos, said Dennis Coronacion, chairman of the political science department at the University of Santo Tomas.

“If (Marcos) is committed to this one, to the impeachment process … I think getting the required number of Senate votes is possible,” he said, adding Wednesday’s vote had come as something of a surprise.

But should the administration stay hands-off, the chances of Duterte being impeached are closer to 50-50, Coronacion said, pointing to the sitting senators’ need for votes from Duterte stronghold Mindanao in the coming election.

Jean Franco, assistant professor of political science at the University of the Philippines, said the coming trial represented a major opportunity for incumbent senators, who would benefit from hours of free television exposure.

“This is a political opportunity for politicians. It can make or break politicians – this impeachment process,” she said. “The game has been changed by this impeachment. All eyes are going to be on the process.”

Mr. Marcos had previously urged Congress not to pursue Duterte’s impeachment, calling it a “storm in a teacup” that would distract the legislature from its primary responsibilities.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, however, said Monday that the Office of the President would “not interfere” with the impeachment complaints. With AFP

Photos from Senate, AFP, Ver Noveno and SPPA Pool