Vice President Sara Duterte was formally ordered on Thursday, March 5, to respond to two impeachment complaints filed against her at the House of Representatives. The Office of the Vice President received the notice from the House justice committee at its headquarters in Mandaluyong City. She has a non-extendible 10-day period to file a verified answer.
On Thursday, March 5, the Office of the Vice President received an official notice from the House justice committee, giving Vice President Sara Duterte a 10-day deadline to respond to two impeachment complaints. The complaints were filed by Fr. Joel Saballa and others, and by lawyer Nathaniel Cabrera. If Duterte does not reply within that time, it will be considered a waiver of her right to answer and a general denial of all allegations.
The notice came a day after the justice committee voted 54-1 to declare the complaints sufficient in substance, the second preliminary step in the impeachment process. The only dissenting vote was from Rep. Bong Suntay of Quezon City, 4th District.
According to Rep. Jinky Luistro, the committee chair, the panel will decide if there are sufficient grounds only after all pleadings and evidence are submitted. If Duterte chooses not to respond, the committee will treat it as a denial and proceed to hearings. Michael Poa, spokesperson for Duterte's defense team, confirmed receipt of the notice but offered no further comment. "We acknowledge receipt of the notice served today. At this point, we see no need to issue any further comment," he told reporters.
The accusations include betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, bribery, and other high crimes. They focus on the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds from the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education during her tenure as education secretary, as well as threats Duterte made against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the First Lady, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
This marks the second impeachment attempt against Duterte. The first occurred on February 5, 2025, when the House impeached her and sent the articles to the Senate, but the Senate remanded them, and the Supreme Court ruled the complaint unconstitutional in July 2025 due to the one-year bar. A new development in this round is the testimony from Ramil Madriaga, Duterte's self-proclaimed former aide, who claimed he was instructed by her to transport large sums of money to several individuals.
