The House of Representatives on Monday formally referred four impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte to the Committee on Justice, setting in motion the next stage of proceedings under the 1987 Constitution.
Deputy Speaker and Iloilo 4th District Representative Ferjenel Biron, who presided over the plenary session, endorsed the complaints to the panel chaired by Batangas 2nd District Representative Gerville Luistro.
The referral also triggered the constitutional one-year bar on filing new impeachment complaints against the Vice President.
The petitions were separately filed by the Makabayan bloc, a coalition of civil society groups, a group of clergy and lawyers, and lawyer Nathaniel Cabrera.
The complaints cite alleged misuse of confidential funds, accusations from supposed former aide Ramil Madriaga, claims of ill-gotten wealth and misrepresentation in her statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN), as well as purported threats against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Under House rules, the Committee on Justice has up to 60 session days to conduct hearings and submit its recommendation to the plenary.
The House will then vote on whether to adopt the committee’s findings. At least one-third of the chamber’s 316 members must vote in favor for the articles of impeachment to be transmitted to the Senate for trial.
The Constitution provides that impeachable officials, including the Vice President, may be removed from office for culpable violation of the Constitution, treason, bribery, graft and corruption, other high crimes, or betrayal of public trust.