Manila, Philippines – Starting next week, the House of Representatives Committee on Justice is set to open the initial proceedings in relation to the impeachment complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte.
In a notice of meeting, the House Justice Committee scheduled the initial evaluations for all the four impeachment raps against Duterte on March 2-4, 2026.
This is exactly a month after the first two impeachment complaints were filed on February 2, after the one year bar ruling of the Supreme Court expired.
It can be recalled that the House of Representatives first impeached Duterte last February 5, 2025, after gaining 1/3 of the members’ approval.
In July of the same year, the SC declared the complaints unconstitutional and void citing violations of due process and of the one year bar rule. The decision likewise ruled that a new impeachment proceeding may only be initiated one year after.
Among the complaints to be tackled by the House panel are the cases filed by progressive groups, civil society leaders, lawyer and clergy groups, and of Atty. Nathaniel Cabrera.
During the meeting, the panel will determine the sufficiency in form and in substance of one or of all of the four complaints.
This marks the beginning of the House’s impeachment process, tackling the complaints and all the grounds of the case one by one.
Some of the grounds include constitutional violations, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption among others, citing alleged confidential funds misuse.
If the committee rules that the complaints are sufficient, the panel shall initiate responsive pleadings and related hearings, before crafting a committee report recommending actions for the cases. This report shall be presented with the members of the Congress for voting.
If the House pursues the case, it shall be transmitted to the Senate who will act as the impeachment court that shall rule the final decision on Duterte’s impeachment complaint.—Mia Layaguin, Eurotv News