Impeachment raps vs Sara Duterte referred to House Committee on Justice
The four impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte have formally been referred to the House of Representatives Committee on Justice.
This initiation at the House also triggers the one-year ban on future complaints against Duterte.
The justice panel is set to determine whether the raps are sufficient in form and substance within three session days. If a majority finds it sufficient, it gets thrown back into the plenary for final approval before becoming an article of impeachment. A vote of at least on-third among the members is required for this.
Earlier in February, three impeachment complaints were lodged against Duterte, as endorsed by the Makabayan Bloc, ML Party-list Leila de Lima, Akbayan Rep. Perci Cendaña, House Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega, and Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante.
The raps are based on the grounds of alleged culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, plunder and/or malversation, bribery, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.
The impeachment complaints come after the Supreme Court declared the articles of impeachment against her as constitutional in July 2025. It affirmed this in January 2026.
In its July ruling, the SC voided an impeachment complaint against Duterte for the reason that it was transmitted to the Senate without a plenary vote. They also said that the fourth impeachment complaint is barred by the one-year rule in the Constitution because there were three complaints that came ahead of it.
The high court, at the time, noted it was not absolving the VP of the charges.
Duterte is accused of misusing public funds, amassing unusual wealth, and threatening to kill President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., the First Lady, and the House Speaker.
Recently, she announced her intention to run for president in the 2028 elections.
