Sara Duterte Impeachment Trial: Latest news, Timeline, What You Need to Know

In July 2025, the Supreme Court (SC) declared the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte unconstitutional, setting back attempts to impeach Duterte over her alleged misuse of her confidential funds.

In February this year, three impeachment complaints were filed against Duterte – two which were filed on the same day, February 2 by the Makabayan coalition and allied groups, and the other by Tindig Pilipinas. religious groups, priests, and lawyers filed a third impeachment complaint on February 9.

On February 18, a fourth impeachment complaint was lodged against the Vice President over similar grounds.

That same day, Duterte announced that she would run for President in the 2028 national elections, claiming the investigations were politically motivated and that the repeated accusations were designed to damage her reputation.

The impeachment complaints alleged that the Vice President betrayed public trust through several acts, including her alleged misuse of P612 million worth of confidential funds, dereliction of official duty due to her willful refusal to recognize congressional oversight during budget deliberations, her alleged threat against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and members of his family, her alleged unexplained wealth and failure to disclose all her properties and interests in her Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth, etc.

The Supreme Court’s resolution on January 28 that upheld its July 2025 ruling on the Articles of Impeachment stated that the Articles – signed off by over a third of the House members and supporting evidence – must be provided to all House members.

It also stated that the evidence must meet the required quantum of proof to establish the charges, and the evidence must be made available to all House members for their information and guidance in deciding on the complaint during plenary deliberations.

On March 2, the House Committee on Justice found two of the impeachment complaints sufficient in form.

Earlier, the panel voted to set aside the first impeachment complaint for violating the one-year bar rule that only allows the initiation of one impeachment proceeding against an impeachable official per year.

Tindig Pilipinas also withdrew the second impeachment complaint and decided to throw their support to the third impeachment complaint, which contained the same grounds as their complaint.

Days later, on March 4, the House Justice Committee found the impeachment complaints sufficient in substance. The complaints were found to be sufficient in grounds on March 18.

After a proper hearing, the House panel on May 4 unanimously approved the committee report that set forth the Articles of Impeachment against the Vice President. This cleared the way for a plenary vote.

On May 11, the House of Representatives voted 257-25-9 to impeach Duterte on allegations of culpable violation of the 1987 Constitution, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, bribery, and other high crimes.

Two days later, on May 13, the Articles of Impeachment against the Vice President arrived at the Senate amid the ongoing tension in the chamber that night.

With Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta charged before the Sandiganbayan for the non-bailable offense of plunder, and Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa inaccessible with a pending International Criminal Court warrant of arrest, there are now discussions over the threshold for convicting Duterte in her impeachment trial.

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian has said the threshold remains at 16 votes.

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Sara Duterte is the 15th Vice President of the Philippines and the youngest to be elected to the post. She assumed office in June 2022 at the age of 44.

Popularly known as Inday Sara, she is the second child of former President Rodrigo Duterte with his ex-wife Elizabeth Zimmerman. She is married to lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio and is the mother to their three children nicknamed Sharky, Stingray, and Stonefish.

Duterte earned her Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy degree from San Pedro College in Davao City and received her Juris Doctor degree from San Sebastian College-Recoletos in Manila.

Before joining politics, Duterte briefly served as a court attorney at the Supreme Court in 2006. She was then elected vice mayor of Davao City from 2007 to 2010 and became the youngest and first lady mayor of the city from 2010 to 2013. In 2016, she was elected again as Davao City mayor and served for two consecutive terms until she decided to run for vice president in 2022, as the running mate of Marcos Jr.

After the Marcos-Duterte tandem won the 2022 elections by a landslide, the Vice President was appointed as secretary of the Department of Education. She resigned as Education chief in June 2024.

Sara Duterte is the lone Philippine official to be impeached twice by the House of Representatives—first in February 2025, and second in May 2026.

The House of Representatives approved four Articles of Impeachment for its 2026 impeachment case against Vice President Duterte for Senate action. These are the following:

Article 1 accuses the Vice President of culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and betrayal of public trust because of the systematic misuse, misappropriation, and irregular liquidation of confidential funds amounting to P500 million released to the Office of the Vice President and P112.5 million for the Department of Education.

Article 2 alleges that the Vice President committed culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust due to the following acts:

• amassing unexplained wealth manifestly disproportionate to her lawful income and earnings during her incumbency as a public official;
• failure to fully and truthfully disclose all her and her spouse's assets, liabilities, and net worth in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN), including in her SALN for the years 2022, 2023, and 2024; and
• failure to divest, and instead, willfully continued, all her business interests during her tenure as Vice President for the years 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.

Article 3 argues that the Vice President committed bribery, graft and corruption, culpable violation of the Constitution, and betrayed public trust when she gave monetary gifts or payments to Department of Education officials to induce the violation and circumvention of procurement and other related laws during her term as Education Secretary.

Article 4 accuses the Vice President of culpable violation of the Constitution, high crimes, and betrayal of public trust when she said she already secured a contract for the assassination of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and the former Speaker of the House and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, by making grave threats and by actively inciting sedition against the Republic.

On May 18, the Senate formally convened as an impeachment court for Duterte’s impeachment case. Donning maroon robes, senators took their oath as judges, days after receiving the Articles of Impeachment from the House of Representatives.

Notably absent from the proceedings was Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, who disappeared from the public eye again amid an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in connection with the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign.

Following the convening of the impeachment court, senators scheduled the start of the impeachment trial on July 6. A pre-trial conference, during which thousands of pieces of documentary evidence related to the case were pre-marked, took place from June 18 to June 25.

The weeks leading to the pre-trial conference, however, were not without controversy.

A dramatic leadership change ousted Senator Alan Peter Cayetano and formally installed Senator Sherwin Gatchalian as the new Senate President. The new Senate Secretary was Atty. Renato Bantug Jr.

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada was also arrested on June 1 over a non-bailable plunder charge. He was preventively suspended for 90 days due to a pending graft case related to the flood control controversy.

Gatchalian earlier said the suspension order would prohibit Estrada from performing his duties as a lawmaker, including serving as senator-judge in the impeachment proceedings.

On July 3, the Ombudsman filed a plunder charge against Sen. Rodante Marcoleta over P75 million worth of undeclared campaign contributions from former Congressman Michael Defensor and two businessmen.

With Dela Rosa absent and Estrada suspended, the number of senator-judges expected to participate in Duterte’s case has been reduced to 22.

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian

Gatchalian was elected senator in 2016 and was reelected in 2022. He was a congressman of Valenzuela's first district from 2001 to 2004 and from 2013 to 2016. He was the city's mayor from 2004 to 2013. He is a former chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance.

He has a degree in finance and operations from Boston University in Massachusetts.

Gatchalian took the oath as a senator-judge in the impeachment court in 2025 and in 2026.

Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente Sotto III

Sotto is a five-term senator, having been elected in 1992, 1998, 2010, 2016, and 2025. He held the posts of Senate President, majority leader, and minority leader during his multiple tenures in the chamber.

He was a senator-judge in the impeachment trial of then-President Joseph Estrada in 2000 and in that of then-Chief Justice Renato Corona in 2011.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri

Zubiri was elected to the Senate in 2007, 2016, and in 2022. Over the course of his terms, he served as Senate President, Senate President Pro Tempore, majority leader, and deputy minority leader.

He was a member of the House of Representatives representing Bukidnon's third district and was one of the congressmen who led the impeachment of then-President Joseph Estrada in 2000.

Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano

Alan Peter Cayetano was elected to the Senate in 2007, 2013, and 2022. A three-term senator, he served as Senate President, majority leader, and minority leader. He was a senator-judge in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona in 2011.

Cayetano also served as a congressman in the House of Representatives and was elected Speaker in 2019.

He earned his law degree from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1997 and was admitted to the bar in 1998.

Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV

Aquino was elected senator in 2013 and in 2025. He took his oath as a senator-judge for the first time on May 18, 2026. He served as deputy minority leader from 2017 to 2019.

Senator Pilar Juliana "Pia" Cayetano

Pia Cayetano, the elder sister of Alan Peter, is a four-term senator, having been elected to the chamber in 2004, 2010, 2019, and 2025. She also served as a congresswoman of Taguig when she was elected to the House of Representatives in 2016. She was a senator-judge in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Pia Cayetano graduated from the University of the Philippines with a degree in economics in 1985 and in law in 1991.

Senator Joseph Victor "JV" Ejercito

Ejercito, the half-brother of Estrada, is a two-term senator, having been elected to the chamber in 2013 and in 2022. He served as deputy majority leader and chairman of the committees on government and on urban planning. He was also a former congressman and a mayor of San Juan City.

Senator Francis Joseph “Chiz” Escudero

Escudero is a three-term senator, having been elected to the chamber in 2007, 2013, and in 2022. Over his career as a senator, he served as Senate President and chairman of committees including those on finance and on justice. He was a senator-judge in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona. He is also a former congressman who represented Sorsogon and a governor of the province.

Escudero earned his degrees in political science and in law from the University of the Philippines.

Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go

Go is a two-term senator, having been elected to the chamber in 2019 and in 2025. Before his career in electoral politics, he was the Special Assistant to the President and head of the Presidential Management Staff from 2016 to 2018 during the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte.

He took the oath as a senator-judge in 2025 and in 2026.

Senator Ana Theresia "Risa" Hontiveros

Hontiveros is a two-term senator who won her first term in 2016 and was reelected in 2022. She was also a congresswoman who represented the Akbayan party-list in the House.

She took the oath as a senator-judge in 2025 and in 2026.

Senator Manuel "Lito" Lapid

Lapid is a three-termer, having been elected to the Senate in 2004, 2010, and in 2019. He also served as governor and vice governor of his home province, Pampanga.

He was a senator-judge in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona in 2011.

Senator Loren Legarda

Legarda is a four-term senator, having been elected to the chamber in 1998, 2007, 2013, and 2022. She was also a congresswoman who represented Antique from 2019 to 2022, when she was also Deputy Speaker. During her term as senator, Legarda served as Senate President Pro Tempore and majority leader.

She was a senator-judge in the impeachment trial of then-President Joseph Estrada in 2000 and in that of then-Chief Justice Renato Corona in 2011.

Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson

Lacson is a four-term senator, having been elected to the chamber in 2001, 2007, 2016, and 2025. He was a career police officer and was the chief of the Philippine National Police before running for senator. Lacson served as Senate President Pro Tempore and chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.

He was a senator-judge in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona in 2011.

Senator Rodante Marcoleta

Marcoleta is in his first term as a senator after his election in 2025. He is a former chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. He served as a congressman in the House of Representatives, representing the party-list SAGIP.

He is facing plunder charges before the Sandiganbayan, although a warrant for his arrest has yet to be issued.

Senator Maria Imelda Josefa "Imee" Marcos

Imee Marcos is in her second term as senator. She was first elected in 2019 and was reelected in 2025. She served as chairperson of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. She also served as governor of her home province, Ilocos Norte, and represented its second district in the House of Representatives.

She took the oath as senator-judge both in 2025 and in 2026.

Senator Robinhood Padilla

Padilla is a first-term senator, having been elected to the Senate in 2022. He was a chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitutional Reforms.

Senator Erwin Tulfo

Erwin Tulfo is a first-term senator who was elected in 2025. He is a former broadcast journalist, former secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and a former congressman representing the ACT-CIS party-list.

Senator Raffy Tulfo

Raffy Tulfo is a first-term senator who was elected in 2022. He is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Services.

He took the oath as a senator-judge in 2025 and in 2026.

Senator Emmanuel Jose "Joel" Villanueva

Villanueva is a two-term senator who was elected in 2016 and in 2022. He was a former majority leader. He is also a former congressman who represented the Citizens' Battle Against Corruption party-list from 2002 to 2010.

Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan

Pangilinan is a four-term senator, having been elected to the chamber in 2001, 2007, 2016 and 2025. He was a former chairman of the Committee on Justice. He has a degree in comparative literature from the University of the Philippines, where he also earned his degree in law.

He was a senator-judge in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Senator Camille Villar

Camille Villar is a first-term senator who was elected in 2025. She is a former congresswoman who represented Las Piñas from 2019 to 2025.

Senator Mark Villar

Mark Villar is a first-term senator who was elected in 2022. He is a former congressman who represented Las Piñas from 2010 to 2016. He is also a former secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Gerville Luistro, Batangas 2nd District

Under the Constitution, the task of prosecuting an impeachable official lies on an 11-strong panel of prosecutors from the House of Representatives. These 11 lawyers who will have the unenviable job of proving the impeachment case against the widely popular Vice President Duterte is led by House justice committee chairperson and Batangas Second District Rep. Gerville Luistro.

Luistro, on her second term as a Batangas Representative, is a law graduate of the University of the Batangas who entered the Philippine Bar in 2002.

It was Luistro who said back in 2024 that the Vice President and other Department of Education officials could be liable for the grave offense of plunder over apparent erroneous documentation on the disbursement of the confidential funds.

Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno, Akbayan Party-list

Diokno is a former Dean of the De La Salle University Tañada-Diokno School of Law and arguably the most experienced litigator in the House prosecution team with over 30 years of law practice experience.

As a member of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) since 1989 and as its chairperson since 2004, Diokno handled numerous human rights cases such as the push for the anti-death penalty measure, lobbying for the enactment of human rights-based legislation, as well as participated in at least eight oral arguments before the Supreme Court, including as a petitioner questioning the legality of former President Duterte's bloody war on drugs.

The Vice President’s impeachment trial is also not the first rodeo for Diokno. Back in 2000 to 2001, Diokno served as one of the private prosecutors and Team Leader during the impeachment proceedings against then President Joseph Estrada.

After Estrada’s impeachment trial prompted the Chief Executive to leave office, Diokno also served as the general counsel of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee from 2001 –2004.

Joel Chua, Manila 3rd District

Chua is the chairperson of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability which conducted the 2024 inquiry on the Vice President's alleged misuse of P612 million worth of confidential funds granted to the Office of the Vice President and Department of Education.

Chua chaired the high-profile panel usually reserved for senior lawmakers, even though he was a neophyte House member back in the 19th Congress.

Lorenz Defensor, Iloilo 3rd District

Defensor is House’s Senior Deputy Majority Leader. He is only just one of four members of the prosecution team who supported the tandem of opposition standard bearer and then Vice President Leni Robredo and her running mate, then Senator Kiko Pangilinan, during the 2022 presidential elections against the “Uniteam” of eventual winners, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and Vice President Duterte.

Defensor is a former senior partner of Salazar Enrile Defensor & De Mata Law Offices (sedaLAW) and a former Legal Officer of SMC Global Power Holdings Corporation.

Jonathan Keith Flores, Bukidnon 2nd District

Flores is the only one of the two prosecutors who hail from Mindanao, the bailiwick of the Duterte family. Moreover, he is the only member of the prosecution team who did not vote in favor of the impeachment of the Vice President. Instead, he abstained.

Flores later explained that he cannot, in good conscience, vote against the impeachment given the evidence unearthed by the House justice committee against the Vice President.

Lorda Suan, Cagayan de Oro 1st District

Suan, on his second term as member of the House, is the only other prosecutor who hails from Mindanao aside from Flores. He earned his Juris Doctor at the Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan School of law.

Prior to his election in Congress last 2022, Suan served as Cagayan de Oro City councilor from 2016 to 2022.

Rodge Rodriguez, 1-Rider Party-list

Rodriguez, only at 32 years old, is the youngest among the 11 House prosecutors for the impeachment trial of Vice President Duterte.

He obtained his law degree from Ateneo de Manila University School of Law, and passed the Philippine bar in 2018.

Belle Zamora, San Juan Lone District

Zamora, 43, earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science degree in UP Diliman in 2004 as cum laude and was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2009.

She was also a former partner of Zamora and Poblador Law Office whose experience was in litigation as well as handling family, civil and criminal cases, and corporate law.

Leila de Lima, ML Party-list

De Lima is a former Senator, Justice Secretary and chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights.

De Lima earned her law degree in San Beda College as class salutatorian and placed eighth in the 1985 Bar Examinations. She began her professional career as an election law practitioner and educator in San Beda College, the same school where former President Duterte got his law degree.

Terry Ridon, Bicol Saro Party-list

Ridon is a former Kabataan party-list representative from 2013 to 2016 and chairperson of the Presidential Commission for Urban Poor from 2016 to 2017.

He also previously led the policy think tank InfraWatch PH from 2018 to 2025 before he was reelected to Congress in 2025.

Ridon earned his Bachelor of Arts in Development Studies degree from the University of the Philippines Manila in 2006 and later completed got his Juris Doctor at the UP College of Law in 2011.

Arlene Bag-ao, Dinagat Island

Bag-ao is a former Akbayan party-list representative from 2010 to 2013 and Dinagat Islands from 2013 to 2019. She also served as Dinagat Islands governor from 2019 to 2022.

A human rights lawyer, she earned her political Science degree from De La Salle University in 1989 and a Juris Doctor from Ateneo de Manila University School of Law in 1993.

The team of private prosecutors includes the following lawyers from prominent law firms.

Atty. Marforth Fua – former Assistant Presidential Legal Counsel of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.; managing partner, Pecabar Law

Atty. James Alih – Pecabar Law

Atty. Erwin Matib, CPA – partner, Pecabar Law

Atty. Justine Lamarca – partner, Pecabar Law

Atty. Lorna Kapunan – senior partner, Kapunan and Castillo Law Firm

Atty. Sonya Benemerito-Castillo – senior partner, Kapunan and Castillo Law Firm

Atty. Deanna Melissa Lorenzo-Singian – partner, Kapunan and Castillo Law Firm

Atty. Lino Chris Kapunan – partner, Kapunan and Castillo Law Firm

Atty: Bettina Zamora – partner, Kapunan and Castillo Law Firm

Atty. Amando Ligutan – managing partner, SALiGAL Law Firm

Atty. Benjamin “Jay” Tolosa Jr. – founding and managing partner, Tolosa, Lim and Chua Law Firm (will also serve as the House prosecution panel’s “legal spokesperson”)

Atty. Theodore Te – interim chairperson of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG)

Atty. Reynaldo Robles – founding partner and managing partner, Chan, Robles & Associates

Atty. Arnold Labay, CPA – senior partner, Chan, Robles & Associates

Atty. Mae Divinagracia – managing partner, Co Nazario - Catera and Divinagracia CND Law

Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense team in her impeachment trial will be composed of 16 lawyers, according to documents filed before the Senate impeachment court.

The lawyers entered their appearance before the court as Duterte prepares to answer the Articles of Impeachment transmitted by the House of Representatives.

Leading the 16-member defense panel is Atty. Sheila Sison. Also included in the team of prominent lawyers are Philip Sigfrid Fortun, Gregorio Narvasa II, Michael Wesley Poa, Carlo Joaquin Narvasa, Roberto Batungbacal, Justin Nicol Gular, Lindon Miguel Bacquel, David Ronell Golla VII, Maria Selena Golda Fortun, Claraine Radoc, Francesca Marie Flores, Miguel Carlos Fernandez, Reynold Munsayac, Mark Vinluan, Ralph Bodota.

Sison is a partner at Fortun, Narvasa and Salazar law firm, with practice areas in family and estates, labor, litigation and dispute resolution, projects, mining and natural resources, and has handled cases before the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan. A graduate of the University of the Philippines at Los Baños and a class valedictorian at the San Sebastian College of Law, she was admitted to the bar in 2014.

Philip Sigfrid A. Fortun

Fortun is a founding partner at the Fortun, Narvasa, and Salazar law firm. He was a member of the defense panel during the impeachment trial of then-President Joseph Estrada in 2000 and 2001. A graduate of the University of the Philippines, he was admitted to the bar in 1984.

Gregorio “Ogie” Y. Narvasa II

Narvasa is a founding partner of the Fortun, Narvasa and Salazar law firm. He is a son of the late former Supreme Court Chief Justice Andres Narvasa, who was part of the defense team of former President Joseph Estrada in his impeachment trial. A graduate of the Ateneo De Manila University and of the University of the Philippines College of Law, he was admitted to the bar in 1986.

Michael Wesley T. Poa

Poa was an undersecretary of the Department of Education and was the DepEd's spokesperson from July 2022 to July 18, 2024. He earned a degree in Creative Arts and Italian Studies from Flinders University in Australia in 2007 and his Juris Doctor from the University of the Philippines in 2018. He was admitted to the bar in 2019. He specializes in criminal, civil, and commercial litigation, taxation, and special projects

Poa has also been listed as a witness for the prosecution in the impeachment trial.

Carlo Joaquin T. Narvasa

Narvasa is a senior associate at the Fortun, Narvasa and Salazar law firm. He has degrees in English Literature and law at the Ateneo De Manila University and was admitted to the bar in 2016. His practice areas include arbitration, corporate and commercial practice, corporate rehabilitation, litigation and dispute resolution, projects, and mining and natural resources.

Justin Nicol B. Gular

Gular is a senior associate at the Fortun, Narvasa and Salazar law firm. He earned his psychology and law degrees at the University of San Carlos and was admitted to the bar in 2022. His practice areas include corporate and commercial practice and corporate rehabilitation, family and estates, labor, litigation and dispute resolution, projects, mining, and natural resources.

David Ronell M. Golla VII

Golla is a senior associate at the Fortun, Narvasa and Salazar law firm. He is a graduate of business administration major in legal management at New Era University and earned his Juris Doctor from the Far Eastern University. He was admitted to the bar in 2023. His practice areas include corporate and commercial practice and corporate rehabilitation, family and estates, labor, litigation, and dispute resolution.

Lindon Miguel C. Bacquel

Bacquel is an associate at the Fortun, Narvasa and Salazar law firm. He earned his legal management and law degrees from the Ateneo de Manila University and was admitted to the bar in 2022. His practice areas include arbitration, immigration, litigation, and dispute resolution.

Karol Grace G. Oroceo

Oroceo is an associate at the Fortun, Narvasa and Salazar law firm. She earned her degrees in fine arts and in law from the University of San Carlos. She was admitted to the bar in 2022. Her practice areas include corporate and commercial practice and corporate rehabilitation, family and estates, litigation and dispute resolution, and taxation.

Clarlaine F. Radoc

Radoc is an associate at the Fortun, Narvasa and Salazar law firm. She earned her degrees in management accounting and in law from the University of San Carlos. She was admitted to the bar in 2022. He practice areas include corporate and commercial practice and corporate rehabilitation, litigation, and dispute resolution

Francesca Marie V. Flores

Flores is an associate at the Fortun, Narvasa and Salazar law firm. She earned her management degree from the Ateneo De Manila University and her Juris Doctor from the University of San Carlos. She was admitted to the bar in 2024. Her practice areas include corporate and commercial practice and corporate rehabilitation, family and estates, labor, litigation, and dispute resolution.

Miguel Carlos A. Fernandez

Fernandez is an associate at the Fortun, Narvasa and Salazar law firm. He graduated from the University of the Philippines with a degree in economics and earned his Juris Doctor from the Ateneo De Manila University. He was admitted to the bar in 2025. His practice areas include corporate and commercial practice and corporate rehabilitation, labor, litigation and dispute resolution, and taxation.

Mark C. Vinluan

Vinluan is a member of the Vinluan Law Offices. He previously served as an associate attorney at the Fortun, Narvasa & Salazar law firm. He was admitted to the bar in 2014. His practice focuses on litigation and related legal services.

Bodota is the managing partner of Bodota & Batungbacal Law Offices and is a CPA-lawyer. He earned his bachelor's degree in accountancy from Catanduanes State University and his Bachelor of Laws from Arellano University School of Law. His practice areas include litigation, taxation, corporate and commercial law, government audit, procurement, and regulatory compliance.

Roberto N. Batungbacal

Batungbacal is a partner at Bodota & Batungbacal Law Offices. He previously served as a senior associate at the Fortun, Narvasa & Salazar law firm. He earned his bachelor's degree in Management Economics and his law degree from Ateneo de Manila University. He was admitted to the Bar in 2020. His practice area focuses on litigation. He is the grandson of the late former Supreme Court Chief Justice Andres Narvasa.

Kristine R. Ferrer

Ferrer is a partner at the Fortun, Narvasa & Salazar law firm and is a CPA-lawyer. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Accountancy and her Bachelor of Laws from Ateneo de Davao University. She was admitted to the Bar in 2011. Her practice areas include arbitration, corporate and commercial practice, corporate rehabilitation, litigation and dispute resolution, and taxation. She headed the legal team that handled the P25-billion tax settlement between Mighty Corporation and the Bureau of Internal Revenue, regarded as the largest tax settlement in Philippine history.

The legal team formally entered its appearance before the Senate sitting as an impeachment court by filing the appropriate pleadings.

Poa, a former spokesperson of the Department of Education and the Office of the Vice President, has also been serving as spokesperson for Duterte’s defense team.

Vice President Sara Duterte’s defense team in her impeachment trial will comprise 16 lawyers, according to documents filed with the Senate impeachment court.

The lawyers entered their appearance before the court as Duterte prepares to answer the Articles of Impeachment transmitted by the House of Representatives.

February 2, 2026 – Two new impeachment complaints were filed.

Members of the Makabayan coalition and allied groups filed the first impeachment complaint against Duterte for 2026, alleging that the Vice President betrayed public trust due to the following acts:

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

On the same day, civil society organization Tindig Pilipinas and others filed their own impeachment complaint against Duterte, accusing the second-highest-ranking public official of the land of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, and commission of high crime over the following deeds:

• Duterte's admission, done in a public broadcast, of contracting an assassin to kill President Ferdinand "Bongbong" 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 secretary;
• causing the distribution of monetary gifts to Department of Education officials holding procurement-related functions;
• massing of unexplained wealth and failure to disclose all her properties and interests in properties in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth; and
• being involved in the extrajudicial killings of the Davao Death Squad during her tenure as mayor of Davao City.

Both groups also filed separate impeachment complaints against the vice president in November and December 2024, respectively. But this time, the groups included the November 2025 affidavit of Ramil Madriaga in their filings.

Madriaga said he is a former intelligence operative and campaign operator assigned by former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to then-vice presidential candidate and Davao City mayor Sara Duterte. He said that he was tasked to form the Vice President Security and Protection Group (VPSPG), during which he recommended to her Army Colonel Dennis Nolasco, who in turn tapped the services of Army Colonel Raymund Dante Lachica to head the VPSPG.

Madriaga said that from July 2022 to April 2023, he worked with Nolasco and Lachica in tactical transport services, securing the vice president and other VIPs, conveying highly confidential information, and transporting large amounts of money to several persons as instructed by the Vice President.

These allegations, the complainants said, corroborate the findings already revealed before the inquiry into the Office of the Vice President’s use of its budget conducted by the House Good Government and Public Accountability Committee in 2024 that the vice president and the Department of Education during her time as chief have been spending their confidential funds on questionable items, to say the least.

Both complaints filed on February 2 this year were accepted by House Secretary General Cheloy Garafil.

Under the House rules, Garafil’s office should immediately submit those verified impeachment complaints to the Office of the Speaker, Faustino “Bojie” Dy III of Isabela.

The Speaker’s office is then mandated to calendar these complaints under the Order of Business for plenary action within 10 session days upon receipt.

Once the impeachment complaints are referred by the House plenary to the House justice panel, the one-year ban on the filing of another impeachment complaint against the Vice President is triggered.

Luistro, said that both impeachment complaints are compliant with the Supreme Court January 28 Resolution, even if the same High Court ruling declared the 2025 impeachment case against the Vice President illegal for violating the one year bar and violation of her rights to due process.

Luistro said the January 28 Resolution provides that the first impeachment complaint filed against the vice president on December 2, 2024 was deemed initiated when the period of 10 session or calendar days lapsed on January 14, 2025 due to the inaction of the House, meaning the one year ban lapsed on January 14.

The Supreme Court’s January 28 Resolution stated that the Articles of Impeachment signed off by over one-third of the House members and supporting evidence must be provided to all House members, including those who did not sign off on such; the evidence must meet the required quantum of proof to establish the charges; and, the evidence must be made available to all House Members for their information and guidance in deciding on the complaint during plenary deliberations.

February 4, 2026 — The defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte said it was ready to explain the use of aliases for confidential funds, such as the “Mary Grace Piattos,” which became one of the bases for the impeachment complaints filed against her.

February 5, 2026 — Atty. Michael Poa, the spokesperson of Sara Duterte’s defense team, clarified that “Mary Grace Piattos” would not be presented as part of the defense of the vice president in the impeachment complaints filed against her.

February 6, 2026 — House Secretary General Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil said in a statement that the two impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte were already transmitted to the Office of Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III.

February 7, 2026 — Vice President Sara Duterte criticized the latest impeachment complaint filed against her and endorsed by Akbayan, saying it had no attached evidence proving the allegations against her.

Meanwhile, the lawyer of Ramil Madriaga, whose allegations were included in the second impeachment complaint against Duterte, said he was willing to participate in the investigations should he be called to appear.

February 9, 2026 — Religious groups, priests, and lawyers filed a third impeachment complaint against Duterte for alleged betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, among others, over the supposed misuse of at least P612 million worth of confidential funds.

Asked for comment, Atty. Michael Poa, spokesperson of Duterte’s lawyers, said, "We have nothing further to add beyond the statement we issued last week. The filing of additional complaints was anticipated by the Defense Team."

February 10, 2026 — House Secretary General Cheloy Garafil confirmed that the third impeachment complaint filed against Vice President Sara Duterte has been transmitted to the Office of House Speaker Faustino "Bojie" Dy III.

February 18, 2026 — Vice President Sara Duterte announced she would run for president in the 2028 national elections. During her announcement, Duterte claimed politically motivated investigations and repeated accusations were designed to damage her reputation, including what she described as “scripted” congressional inquiries. She said that as early as the first months of the administration, she had already begun questioning what she described as a lack of integrity in governance.

Members of the Makabayan bloc criticized Duterte's announcement that she intended to run for president in 2028, calling it a "distraction" and a "calculated" move ahead of the looming impeachment proceedings against her.

Also on the same day, a fourth impeachment complaint was filed against Duterte, citing alleged misuse of public funds, undeclared wealth, and other alleged violations. It was transmitted to the Speaker’s office on February 19.

February 23, 2026 — The House of Representatives referred the four impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte to the House justice panel, marking the initiation of the complaints.

On the same day, House Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V of La Union said he was hoping that his party-mates in the ruling Lakas-CMD party would support the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte. He said that the Vice President had been continuously evading questions about her use of her office’s confidential funds, among other alleged misdeeds.

February 24, 2026 — Vice President Sara Duterte said that the announcement of her presidential bid for the 2028 elections had nothing to do with the ongoing impeachment process at the House of Representatives.

"Hindi naman (Not really)," she said in an interview in Iligan City, stressing that the impeachment threat has been there "yesterday, tomorrow, today."

On the same day, the House Committee on Justice said the deliberations on the merits of the four impeachment complaints against Duterte would begin on March 2.

February 25, 2026 — A vice chairperson of the House Committee on Justice said Vice President Sara Duterte's bank records might be subpoenaed as part of the impeachment proceedings.

Representative Jonathan Keith Flores said laws provide exceptions to the confidentiality of bank deposits.

February 26, 2026 — The National Unity Party (NUP) said it was unlikely to vote in favor of the impeachment complaint filed against Vice President Sara Duterte unless “compelling new evidence” would be presented.

On the same day, Malacañang said the NUP had the freedom to decide whether it would support the impeachment complaint lodged against Vice President Sara Duterte.

February 27, 2026 — Two members of the House of Representatives said the fresh impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte would include new evidence as well as allegations that she had yet to answer.