House panel declares impeachment raps vs Sara Duterte sufficient in form

Updated @ 4.44 p.m., March 2, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — The third and fourth impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte hurdled the first test before the House of Representatives’ committee on justice on Monday.

No House lawmakers objected in a motion to declare sufficient in form the impeachment complaints against Duterte, prompting the committee chair, Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro, to make the declaration.

Earlier on Monday, the first impeachment complaint against Duterte, filed by the Makabayan Coalition, was set aside by the said panel for allegedly violating the one-year bar rule.

The Supreme Court (SC) ruled that the next impeachment complaint could be filed only after Feb. 6, or on the day after the one-year House impeachment of Duterte on Feb. 5, 2025.

However, Makabayan’s petition was submitted to the Office of the House Secretary General on Feb. 2, days before the one-year prohibition lapsed.

Meanwhile, the second impeachment complaint was withdrawn by its filers to support the third complaint filed by clergy members and lawyers, a move they said was intended to expedite proceedings against Duterte.

READ: BREAKING: 1st impeach rap vs VP Duterte set aside for violating one-year bar rule

After the hearing, Luistro categorically stated that the third and fourth impeachment complaints passed the sufficiency in form requirement since it did not violate the one-year bar rule.

The 98-page third impeachment complaint, filed by Fr. Joel Saballa et al., was filed on Feb. 9; while the fourth 72-page rap lodged by Atty. Nathaniel Cabrera was submitted on Feb. 18.

READ: Sara Duterte declares 2028 bid amid new impeach raps

“It is the intention of the justice committee to include that in determining the sufficiency in form because we understand that the one-year prohibition is part of the procedural requirement, which must be complied with also in filing an impeachment,” Luistro said during a briefing.

Luistro said the trimming of impeachment complaints will make the process faster.

“We will be able to move faster, considering we just have two impeachment complaints left,” she said. “I believe there’s a basis to say that they can move faster this time.”

All of the impeachment cases against Duterte cited allegations of betrayal of public trust, bribery, graft and corruption, including the misuse of P612 million in confidential funds. 

On Feb. 5 last year, the lower chamber impeached Duterte as 215 House members voted in favor of it in what is called a “fast-track mode.”

But this time, the impeachment proceedings underwent a longer track that could drag on up to 60 session days.

After hurdling the sufficiency-in-form test, the next step will determine whether the impeachment complaints are sufficient in substance.

This new impeachment bid came as Duterte announced her presidential bid for 2028, making her the first aspirant to do so. /atm