Impeachment Proceedings Against VP Sara Duterte Formally Initiated, Raps Sent to House Justice Panel, De Lima Confirms
The House of Representatives’ committee on rules formally sent four impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte to the committee on justice, a move confirmed by Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima. This formal referral initiates the impeachment proceedings and triggers a one-year bar period for subsequent complaints.
The House of Representatives' committee on rules has formally sent four impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte to the committee on justice, initiating impeachment proceedings. This move was confirmed by Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima. The formal referral triggers a one-year bar period for subsequent complaints against the vice president. The impeachment complaints were filed by 215 House lawmakers of the 19th Congress, marking a significant development in the ongoing political tensions surrounding Duterte's administration.
This represents renewed impeachment efforts against Vice President Duterte that began in early February 2026, following the expiration of a Supreme Court-imposed ban on new filings. The Supreme Court had previously ruled on July 25, 2025, that an earlier impeachment complaint was unconstitutional, barring new attempts until February 6, 2026. The current complaints allege various offenses including misuse of confidential funds, undeclared assets, abuse of power, bribery, and threats against officials including President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The impeachment proceedings come after Duterte survived an earlier impeachment attempt on technical grounds in 2025. The Senate had convened as an impeachment court on June 10, 2025, but remanded the articles back to the House for certification regarding the one-year constitutional ban. Duterte had submitted an ad cautelam answer on June 23, 2025, seeking dismissal on one-year bar grounds, to which House prosecutors replied on June 27, urging a full trial.
Recent legal actions include lawyer Catalino Generillo Jr. petitioning the Supreme Court on February 14, 2026, for a Senate trial via mandamus, and Mindanao lawyers seeking certiorari and a restraining order on February 18, while Duterte herself petitioned to nullify the complaint. The referral to the House Justice Panel marks the formal start of what could be lengthy impeachment proceedings, with constitutional debates continuing about the timing of the one-year ban and the validity of the complaints.
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