MANILA — The House of Representatives Committee on Justice has found two remaining impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte “sufficient in substance,” allowing the process to move forward.  

The panel, chaired by Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro, voted after completing deliberations on the third and fourth verified impeachment complaints filed against the vice president.  

Lawmakers determined that both complaints contain allegations which, if proven true, could constitute impeachable offenses.  

The complaints were filed by several individuals, including Fr. Bong Saballa and lawyer Nathaniel Cabrera. They accuse Duterte of betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution, among other allegations.  

The complaints center on the alleged misuse of ₱612.5 million in confidential funds. They also cite allegations that the vice president threatened to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and members of his family.  

House Deputy Majority Leader Rep. Jude Acidre moved to declare the complaint filed by Saballa and others sufficient in substance, while San Juan Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora moved to declare the Cabrera complaint sufficient.  

Both motions were approved with 54 votes in favor, one vote against, and no abstentions. Quezon City Rep. Bong Suntay cast the lone dissenting vote.  

Following the committee’s ruling, Duterte has been ordered to file her answer to the impeachment complaints within 10 calendar days.  

Luistro said the panel evaluated the complaints based on the entire document, rather than focusing on individual allegations.  

“The rules say we will be determining the sufficiency in substance on the basis of the entire impeachment complaint,” Luistro said.  

“What is being determined is the sufficiency in substance of the complaint and not the individual grounds,” she added. “We adopted the deliberation that we had in the prior impeachment proceedings—that is, by going over all the grounds, only to give a better and wider perspective to all the justice members to come up with their individual judgment.”  

The Batangas solon stressed that the committee’s decision does not determine whether the vice president is guilty.  

“At this stage, we are not determining guilt,” Luistro said. “We are asking whether the allegations rise to the level of impeachable offenses and whether they are credible enough to justify moving forward with the process.”  

House Senior Deputy Speaker Rep. Ferdinand Hernandez of South Cotabato also emphasized that the vote does not decide the vice president’s guilt or innocence.  

“Our vote today is not a verdict of guilt nor an act of condemnation. It is simply a decision whether the constitutional process should move forward,” Hernandez said.  

Manila Rep. Joel Chua, chairperson of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, said the complaints met the standard for sufficiency in substance.  

Chua pointed to the allegation that the vice president threatened to kill the president, describing it as a “clear violation and culpable violation of the Constitution.”  

“That is gross betrayal of public trust because our president is elected by the public to lead us,” he added.  

Meanwhile, Davao City Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte criticized the committee’s decision, saying it showed how impeachment could be used for political purposes.  

“While this development does not come as a surprise, it clearly exposes how certain forces in Congress are willing to weaponize impeachment for political ends rather than uphold fairness and justice,” he said in a statement.  

Duterte also commended Suntay for voting against advancing the fourth impeachment complaint.  

“I commend Rep. Bong Suntay for standing his ground and refusing to be intimidated or pressured into joining this political exercise,” he said.  

“In a room where many chose convenience over conviction, he showed that courage and integrity in public service still exist—even if it means standing alone,” he added. “To the 54 others who voted in favor of pushing these complaints forward, remember this: political power is temporary, but accountability to the Filipino people is permanent. You may have the numbers today, but history has a way of judging those who abuse their authority.”  

📷 Screenshot from HoR