MANILA, Philippines – Twenty-five members of the House of Representatives voted against the impeachment of Sara Duterte on Monday, May 11, as the chamber approved the justice committee report finding probable cause in the complaints against the Vice President.
Despite the opposition, a total of 257 lawmakers voted in favor of the committee report, comfortably surpassing the constitutional requirement of one-third of all House members, or 106 votes, to transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate.
Nine lawmakers abstained from the vote, while 291 of the 318 House members participated in the plenary proceedings.
Among the most prominent lawmakers who voted “no” was Paolo Marcoleta, a staunch ally of Duterte who has consistently defended the Vice President against allegations of misuse of public funds and abuse of authority.
The relatively small bloc of lawmakers opposing the impeachment underscored the broad support within the House for sending the case to the Senate for trial.
The impeachment complaint includes four articles accusing Duterte of culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, bribery, high crimes, and betrayal of public trust. These stem from allegations involving the misuse of ₱612.5 million in confidential funds, unexplained wealth, monetary gifts to Department of Education officials, and alleged threats against Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez.
The articles of impeachment will now be transmitted to the Senate, which is constitutionally mandated to convene as an impeachment court.
A conviction would require the votes of at least 16 of the 24 senators. If convicted, Duterte would be removed from office and permanently barred from holding any public office, effectively ending her reported plans to seek the presidency in 2028.