In 257-25-9 vote, House impeaches Sara Duterte

MANILA, May 12 ------ For the second time in her term, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte.

At the House plenary session on Monday, 257 of the 316 House members supported the impeachment complaints against Duterte on the grounds of alleged misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, and supposed assassination plot against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. This was more than the one-third, or 106 House members, that the Constitution requires for the articles of impeachment to be transmitted to the Senate for trial. There were 25 votes against impeachment and nine abstentions.

The House had issued a clarification after initially recording 255 affirmative votes and 26 negative votes. More House members voted to impeach Duterte on Monday than in February 2025, when 215 endorsed the articles of impeachment to the Senate for trial. “Hindi ganito ang gusto nating leader. Ayaw natin sa leader na bilyonarya pala, pero hindi nagdedeklara. Ayaw natin sa leader na nagbabanta ng pagpatay sa harap ng media. Ayaw natin sa leader na kumukubra at naglalabada ng pera mula sa droga,” Akbayan Party List Representative Percival Cendaña said. “These are patterns of bad behavior. These are habits of abuse of power… Impeachment is not political persecution. It is not a partisan activity. It is a constitutional accountability mechanism,” added ML Party List Leila de Lima, who endorsed an impeachment complaint against Duterte.

Among those who voted against Duterte’s impeachment are Cavite 4th District Representative Kiko Barzaga, Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste, and SAGIP Party List Representative Paolo Marcoleta. “You instead seek to remove her as you believe that her presidential ambitions will interfere with the traditional political practices that our nation has growned accustomed to,” Barzaga said.

Among those who abstained are Palawan 2nd District Representative Jose Alvarez, who previously signed the committee report, and Bukidnon 3rd District Representative Audrey Zubiri. “I chose to abstain from voting so as not to prejudice or preempt the independent judgment of my husband, Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri,” Zubiri explained.

In her sponsorship speech, House Committee on Justice Chairperson and Batangas 2nd District Representative Gerville Luistro said the lower chamber’s impeachment proceeding was not out of anger or pursuit of political advantage, but a Constitutional mandate. She said Committee Report 261 and House Resolution 989 setting forth the articles of impeachment against Duterte were a product of a long and proper process, not of gossip. “Sa proseso, naging maingat tayo. Hindi tayo nagmadali. Sinunod natin ang one-year bar rule. Binigyan natin ng pagkakataon ang bawat panig. Ang mga pagdinig ay isinagawa ng hayagan. Hindi tayo naghanap ng shortcut.

Naghanap tayo ng katotohanan,” Luistro told the House plenary. She stressed there is evidence to support the allegations in the impeachment complaints against Duterte, including the notices of disallowance issued by the Commission on Audit on the Office of the Vice President’s confidential expenses, and the Anti-Money Laundering Council report on the covered and suspicious transactions involving Duterte and her husband. “Kahit gaano kataas ang posisyon, kahit gaano kalakas ang suporta, walang sinuman ang lampas sa pananagutan sa ilalim ng Konstitusyon. Hindi ito usapin ng apelyido, partido, o rehiyon. Ang prinsipyo ng pananagutan ay dapat umiiral kanino man—kaalyado man o kalaban,” Luistro said.

The four articles of impeachment accuse Duterte of alleged misuse of confidental funds, alleged unexplained wealth, alleged bribery of Department of Education officials, and alleged contracting to assassinate the President, the First Lady, and the former House Speaker.

BH Party List Representative Robert Nazal questioned the House panel’s move to subpoena and consider documents, which were not part of the original impeachment complaints, including the AMLC report. “Dapat ang impeachment complaints ay sapat sa kanilang sariling allegations at supporting documents at the time of filing. Kung ang material evidence tulad ng AMLC reports, corrected bank data, witness affidavits, COA records at authenticated videos ay nakuha lamang during the committee proceedings, kailangan malinaw kung ang complaints ba ay sapat na nang inihain or nabuo lamang ang kaso pagkatapos,” he said. “The rule expressly allows other related evidence… The Committee shall have the power to issue compulsory processes for the attendance of witnesses, and the production of documents, and other related evidence. There is no amendment that happened, Mr. Speaker. Other relevant documents were considered. But the same is for the purpose of responding to the mandate… of determination of whether probable cause exists or otherwise,” Luistro replied.

SAGIP Party List Representative Paolo Marcoleta also called out the House committee’s impeachment hearings while Congress was on break. But Luistro asserted, the House issued a resolution authorizing her panel to do so, and no rule prohibits it. “Wala pong maipakitang dokumento ang distinguished sponsor authorizing the committee to conduct hearings during adjournment,” Marcoleta said. “It seems to this representation that the honorable gentleman is not listening. I have cited already that the House of Representatives passed a resolution. The House of Representatives before the break… even passed a resolution expressly authorizing the Justice Committee to proceed with its hearing,” Luistro replied.

House Senior Deputy Majority Leader Lorenz Defensor vehemently denied allegations raised by Leviste that lawmakers were promised monetary incentives to vote in favor of Duterte’s impeachment. The Vice President’s brother, Davao City 1st District Representative Paolo Duterte, her nephew, Davao City 2nd District Rep. Omar Duterte, and cousin PPP Party List Representative Harold Duterte attended the House plenary session, but they did not raise questions during the period of interpellation. Amid the leadership change at the Senate, Akbayan Party List Representative Chel Diokno said he hopes the Senate will fulfill its Constitutional duty to forthwith convene as an impeachment court upon receipt of the articles of impeachment against Duterte. “Kahit sino pa ang nakaupong lider ng Senado, mahigit na babantayan ng publiko ang proseso ng impeachment. The House has already done its job, and I hope the Senate will fulfill its constitutional duty under the 1987 Constitution to forthwith convene as an impeachment court once the articles of impeachment are transmitted to it,” Diokno said.

De Lima added that it is not only the Vice President that will be on trial, as the public will also judge senators based on their actions on the case. “Ang hamon at panawagan ngayon sa buong Senado, hindi lang sa bagong liderato, gampanan nila ang kanilang mandato at tungkulin sa Konstitusyon. In this impeachment, it is not only VP Sara who would be on trial; kasama sa huhusgahan ng taumbayan ang mga Senador. People are watching. Mulat at tayang-taya na ang taumbayan. Hindi sila magwawalang kibo lamang,” she said.

Duterte announced her intent to run for president last February. A guilty verdict at the Senate will remove the vice president from her post, and senator-judges could bar her from holding any public office permanently. Senior Deputy Majority Leader Lorenz Defensor moved to formally endorse the impeachment complaint and its records to the Senate, which Senior Deputy Speaker Ferdinand Hernandez approved after hearing no objection.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com