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House Set For Crucial Vote On Sara Duterte Impeachment
Photo credit: Congress PH
The House of Representatives of the Philippines is expected to hold a historic plenary vote on Monday that could formally send the impeachment case against Sara Duterte to the Senate for trial.
Lawmakers will deliberate on the report of the House Committee on Justice, which found probable cause to impeach the vice president after weeks of hearings involving allegations tied to confidential funds, unexplained wealth, bribery, and controversial public remarks against top government officials.
Justice committee chair Gerville Luistro said the panel is ready to defend its findings before the full House.
“We are anticipating that this coming Monday, we will be given the opportunity to defend the committee report, to defend the findings of probable cause, to defend the Articles of Impeachment,” Luistro said.
The committee earlier voted 53-0 to find probable cause and later approved the impeachment report and resolution in a 55-0 vote.
Luistro said debates during the plenary session are expected to be intense, but stressed that the committee is prepared to answer questions from fellow lawmakers. She is also set to personally deliver the sponsorship speech summarizing the hearings, evidence, and the four consolidated Articles of Impeachment.
Under the Constitution, at least one-third of the House, or 106 votes from the 318-member chamber, is needed to approve the Articles of Impeachment and immediately transmit them to the Senate impeachment court. Voting will be done through nominal voting, where each lawmaker publicly casts a "yes" or “no” vote.
The first impeachment article centers on the alleged misuse and questionable disbursement of confidential funds under both the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education during Duterte’s term as education secretary.
During the hearings, lawmakers examined the alleged use of around P612.5 million in confidential funds, including claims that P125 million released to the Office of the Vice President in 2022 was supposedly spent within less than 24 hours. The allegation was based on testimony from self-confessed Duterte bagman Ramil Madriaga.
The second article involves allegations of unexplained wealth and supposed discrepancies in Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs), along with bank transactions flagged by the Anti-Money Laundering Council.
According to discussions during the hearings, the AMLC flagged 663 covered and suspicious transactions amounting to around P6.77 billion allegedly linked to Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio.
However, lawyer Peter Paul Danao, speaking for Carpio’s camp, earlier said that Bank of the Philippine Islands clarified that a reported “P2 billion” transaction was actually “P2 million,” allegedly due to a system glitch.
The third article focuses on alleged bribery involving reported cash envelopes labeled “HOPE” that were supposedly distributed to Department of Education officials connected to procurement activities.
The fourth article involves Duterte’s controversial remarks in November 2024, where she publicly stated that she had arranged for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and then-Speaker of the House Ferdinand Martin Romualdez to be killed if something happened to her.
The justice panel also reviewed evidence connected to the National Bureau of Investigation investigation, including the authentication of the viral video containing Duterte’s remarks.
Lawmakers will deliberate on the report of the House Committee on Justice, which found probable cause to impeach the vice president after weeks of hearings involving allegations tied to confidential funds, unexplained wealth, bribery, and controversial public remarks against top government officials.
Justice committee chair Gerville Luistro said the panel is ready to defend its findings before the full House.
“We are anticipating that this coming Monday, we will be given the opportunity to defend the committee report, to defend the findings of probable cause, to defend the Articles of Impeachment,” Luistro said.
The committee earlier voted 53-0 to find probable cause and later approved the impeachment report and resolution in a 55-0 vote.
Luistro said debates during the plenary session are expected to be intense, but stressed that the committee is prepared to answer questions from fellow lawmakers. She is also set to personally deliver the sponsorship speech summarizing the hearings, evidence, and the four consolidated Articles of Impeachment.
Under the Constitution, at least one-third of the House, or 106 votes from the 318-member chamber, is needed to approve the Articles of Impeachment and immediately transmit them to the Senate impeachment court. Voting will be done through nominal voting, where each lawmaker publicly casts a "yes" or “no” vote.
The first impeachment article centers on the alleged misuse and questionable disbursement of confidential funds under both the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education during Duterte’s term as education secretary.
During the hearings, lawmakers examined the alleged use of around P612.5 million in confidential funds, including claims that P125 million released to the Office of the Vice President in 2022 was supposedly spent within less than 24 hours. The allegation was based on testimony from self-confessed Duterte bagman Ramil Madriaga.
The second article involves allegations of unexplained wealth and supposed discrepancies in Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs), along with bank transactions flagged by the Anti-Money Laundering Council.
According to discussions during the hearings, the AMLC flagged 663 covered and suspicious transactions amounting to around P6.77 billion allegedly linked to Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio.
However, lawyer Peter Paul Danao, speaking for Carpio’s camp, earlier said that Bank of the Philippine Islands clarified that a reported “P2 billion” transaction was actually “P2 million,” allegedly due to a system glitch.
The third article focuses on alleged bribery involving reported cash envelopes labeled “HOPE” that were supposedly distributed to Department of Education officials connected to procurement activities.
The fourth article involves Duterte’s controversial remarks in November 2024, where she publicly stated that she had arranged for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and then-Speaker of the House Ferdinand Martin Romualdez to be killed if something happened to her.
The justice panel also reviewed evidence connected to the National Bureau of Investigation investigation, including the authentication of the viral video containing Duterte’s remarks.
May 10, 2026
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