Impeach raps vs. VP Duterte to be referred to House justice panel – House leader

The three impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte will take the longer route and will be referred to the House justice panel to determine its sufficiency in form and substance, House Senior Deputy Majority Leader and Iloilo Rep. Lorenz Defensor said on Wednesday.

“As of today, I cannot see getting one-third endorsement from the members of the House of Representatives. But I can tell you right now that aabot ito sa (this will reach) committee on justice,” Defensor said in an interview.

He was referring to the fast-track mode of impeachment, in which an impeachment complaint endorsed by at least 1/3 of the House members is automatically sent to the Senate for the start of the impeachment trial forthwith as provided for in the 1987 Constitution.

The longer mode of impeachment – which is also outlined in the charter – is when the Speaker includes the impeachment complaints in the order of business for House plenary action, after which the House plenary refers it to the House justice committee for deliberation.

House Senior Deputy Majority Leader Lorenz Defensor of Iloilo on impeachment complaints vs VP Sara Duterte: As of right now, I cannot see getting 1/3 endorsement [of the complaint] from members of the House but I can tell you aabot ito sa House committee on justice @gmanews pic.twitter.com/FalNYBjOlO

— Llanesca T. Panti (@llanescajourno) February 18, 2026

Defensor recalled that after 1/3 of House members impeached Duterte in February 2025, the Senate did not proceed with the trial forthwith. He also cited the Supreme Court’s decision in July later that year that voided the impeachment case filed against Duterte and declared it unconstitutional.

“We have to accept the fact that many members of the House were dismayed with how the impeachment complaint last year was handled. Ang Senado, hindi nila tinupad ang kanilang tungkulin under the Constitution. Kahit ang Presidente na nagsabing may mananagot, he did not pursue. He said that he will be independent and will leave it to the House of Representatives,” Defensor said.

(We have to accept the fact that many members of the House were dismayed with how the impeachment complaint last year was handled. The Senate did not carry out their duties under the Constitution. Even if the President said someone should be held accountable, he did not pursue it. He said that he will be independent and will leave it to the House of Representatives.)

“And the Supreme Court itself said that the impeachment complaint was void. So right now, if we’re going to do it all over again, I can honestly tell you that it will only, for now, at least today, it will only be referred to the committee on justice and I can’t say anything more,” he added.

Under Article 11, Section 3 of the 1987 Constitution, impeachment complaints not endorsed by at least 1/3 of the House members must be included in the order of business within 10 session days from filing and then referred to the appropriate committee in three session days thereafter.

“As of today, malabo ‘yung express na may (it’s unlikely that there will be) 1/3 endorsement and immediate transmittal to the Senate for trial, forthwith,” Defensor said.

The first impeachment complaint filed against the Vice President was filed by the Makabayan coalition and allied groups last February 2. It alleged that Duterte betrayed public trust by:

• Ordering subordinates to prepare implausible accomplishment reports supported by fabricated liquidation reports and falsified documents for submission to the Commission on Audit (COA) to support the use of confidential funds; and
• Dereliction of official duty due to her willful refusal to recognize congressional oversight during budget deliberations and its authority to conduct inquiries in aid of legislation.

The second impeachment complaint was also filed on the same day by Tindig Pilipinas and other civil society groups. It accused her of betrayal of public trust, betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, and a commission of high crime over the following allegations:

• Duterte’s admission in a public broadcast in November 2024 that she allegedly contracted an assassin to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos and then-Speaker Martin Romualdez;
• Misuse and malversation of her confidential funds as Vice President and then Department of Education (DepEd) secretary;
• Causing the distribution of monetary gifts to DepEd officials holding procurement-related functions;
• Amassing alleged unexplained wealth and failure to disclose all her properties and interests in properties in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN); and
• Alleged involvement in the extrajudicial killings of the Davao Death Squad during her term as Davao City mayor.

The third impeachment complaint against the Vice President was filed on February 9 by religious groups, priests, and lawyers. It alleged that she committed betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, among others, over the alleged misuse of at least P612 million worth of confidential funds.

Meanwhile, Defensor gave no guarantee that the impeachment complaints against Duterte will easily hurdle the House justice panel even if the grounds for impeachment are similar to the 2025 impeachment case that was deemed unconstitutional by the High Court.

“I can’t say right now. Hayaan na muna nating mailatag ng mga complainant at mga endorsers ang kanilang ebidensiya (Let us allow the complainants and the endorses to present evidence first) and let’s leave it to the members to decide for themselves if they think it will be sufficient in form and sufficient in substance,” he said.

He said he is in favor of impeaching the Vice President because threatening to kill the President, in this case Marcos, will always be an impeachable offense. Asked if he wants Duterte to be impeached on those grounds of threatening the President’s life, Defensor said, “Yes.”

“I will always do my constitutional duty. The very reason why I signed the impeachment complaint last year was because walang Bise Presidenteng nagsasabi na may kinausap na akong taong handang pumatay sa isang Presidente (no Vice Presidnet ever said that she talked to someone ready to kill the President). That will always be an impeachable offense and a betrayal of public trust,” said Defensor, who was one of the 215 lawmakers who signed the 2025 impeachment case against Duterte.

“Kung manalo si Vice President Sara Duterte bilang Presidente at sinabihan siya ng kanyang Bise Presidente na may kinausap din ako, taong handang pumatay sa kanya, I will sign the impeachment complaint again, kahit sino man,” he added.

(If Vice President Sara Duterte is elected as President and her Vice President will say, ‘I talked to someone ready to kill her,’ I will sign the impeachment complaint again, whoever that is.)

On Wednesday, Duterte announced her plan to run for President in the 2028 elections and apologized for helping get Marcos elected in 2022. They were running mates under the Uniteam alliance in the 2022 polls but their ties eventually soured.

Duterte noted that while the Vice President’s declaration may affect how House members vote on the impeachment complaints, the evidence to be presented against Duterte will have the same, if not greater weight on the lawmakers’ decision.

“There is a possibility that it will affect the voting of all the members, and it will also depend on how the evidence against her will be presented. Kung napakabigat (If the evidence is grave), it may sway against her. But it is a strategic decision to announce it today,” he added. — JMA, GMA Integrated News