Both impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte have been transmitted to the Office of the Speaker, House Secretary General Cheloy Garafil said on Friday. This occurred exactly one year after the Supreme Court struck down her previous impeachment as unconstitutional. The House has several days left to include them in the Order of Business and refer to the justice committee.
In a statement on February 6, Garafil confirmed that the complaints were sent to Speaker Bojie Dy's office on the afternoon of Thursday, February 5. They were filed on February 2, and three "session days," as defined by the Supreme Court, have passed, leaving the House seven session days or until February 23 to include them in the Order of Business and refer them to the justice committee.
Rep. Terry Ridon of the Bicol Saro Party-list said House members who filed the fourth impeachment complaint against Duterte in 2025 may refile if they choose to fast-track the process by obtaining the support of one-third of all House members. However, he explained that such a filing and direct transmittal to the Senate would only be possible if the first two complaints have not yet been referred to the Committee on Justice, as this would initiate impeachment proceedings and trigger the one-year bar.
The complaints could be included in the Order of Business as early as February 9 for plenary action. Unlike the previous impeachment attempt, which saw a two-month delay before House action on the first complaint, the House is now acting in a more urgent manner to follow the Supreme Court's instructions and avoid any judicial review, even though many members consider its latest resolution an overreach.
The complaints were filed by the same progressive groups that initiated the first impeachment cases against the vice president in December 2024, including a Makabayan-endorsed complaint with 45 petitioners from marginalized sectors and another backed by the Akbayan and ML party-lists, with 17 complainants.
The first complaint charged Duterte with betrayal of public trust in connection with the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds. The second complaint cited four grounds: betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, the high crime of murder and conspiracy to commit murder, and graft and corruption.
The second complaint repeats allegations from the complaint filed by over one-third of all House members in 2025, but adds the sworn testimony from Duterte's purported former aide, Ramil Madriaga, who claimed he delivered confidential funds to her security aide and that illegal drug and offshore gaming proceeds financed her 2022 campaign.
With President Bongbong Marcos' impeachment case dismissed by the justice committee, the House will most likely focus solely on the vice president’s impeachment cases in the months to come.
