Sara Duterte impeachment raps advance; Evidence and witnesses next
The House panel has found sufficient grounds to proceed with the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte, moving the process to a full hearing on March 25 for evidence and witness presentation.
On March 18, 2026, the Philippine House Committee on Justice found sufficient grounds in two impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte, advancing the process to hearings on sufficiency of form and substance. The committee approved motions by Representatives Nonoy Defensor, Janet Garin, and Rezus Rodriguez to proceed with the third complaint filed by Fr. Joel Saballa and the fourth complaint filed by Atty. Nathaniel G. Cabrera. This decision came after Duterte's 10-day deadline to submit her verified answer ended on March 15, 2026, and her response was deemed non-responsive, treated as a motion to dismiss rather than a substantive answer.
The impeachment complaints allege multiple constitutional violations including culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, plunder, graft, corruption, unexplained wealth, and contracting to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez. The allegations reference a viral video from November 2023 where Duterte allegedly admitted to plotting such actions, as well as irregularities in confidential funds and failure to disclose properties as required by Article XI, Section 17 of the Constitution.
This development follows a Supreme Court ruling on July 25, 2025, which declared earlier 2025 impeachment articles unconstitutional due to violating the one-year bar rule. The Court's unanimous decision, penned by Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen, invalidated the fourth impeachment complaint that had been signed by 215 House lawmakers on February 5, 2025, leading the Senate to archive those earlier proceedings.
According to Representative Terry Ridon, Vice President Duterte will be free to present witnesses during the impeachment hearing proper starting March 25, 2026. The House Committee on Justice had previously held its third hearing on the impeachment complaints on March 4, 2026, focusing on the evidentiary nexus between the allegations and constitutional violations. The political context of these proceedings reflects ongoing tensions between the Marcos and Duterte political factions in the Philippines.
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