THE two impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte have been transmitted to the office of Speaker Faustino Dy III for review.
House Secretary-General Cheloy Garafil announced Friday the two complaints were submitted on Thursday in compliance with the Constitution and the rules of the House of Representatives.
“Upon receipt and verification of the complaints and their accompanying endorsements, the Office of the Secretary General forwarded the documents to the Office of the Speaker for appropriate action,” Garafil said.
The Speaker’s office will hand over the complaints to the Committee on Justice, which will do the reviewing.
One complaint was filed by the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) and endorsed by the Makabayan bloc, and the other by progressive groups and endorsed by Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima and Akbayan Rep. Percival Cendaña.
Michael Wesley Poa, spokesman for the vice president’s legal team, said they were “not surprised” by the transmittal of the complaints to the Speaker’s office.
“That’s why our preparations never stopped, even when we filed the petition before the Supreme Court. While that was pending, and even after the decision came out, we never stopped preparing. So, well, we’re ready to face the challenge, and we’re ready to face the allegations against the Vice President,” Poa said in a television interview on Thursday night.
He said Duterte told her lawyers to “answer all allegations and be prepared with their own counter evidence” so that the people will be enlightened on the issues involved.
“The burden of proof now shifts to us once the prosecution already presents their evidence. And we in the defense are ready to respond to all of these allegations, so to speak,” Poa said.
He said it was also not surprising that the complaint endorsed by de Lima and Cendana included the affidavit of alleged security consultant Ramil Madriaga, who claimed to be the bagman for the vice president.
“We already had an inclination that this would be part of another round of impeachment complaints, and definitely, we are ready to respond to those point by point at least to disprove Ramil Madriaga’s claims,” Poa said.
He said he is optimistic that the House Committee on Justice would be “fair and impartial” in reviewing the complaints despite the fact that some members of the panel have a potential conflict of interest issue because of their involvement in her first impeachment complaint.
“We are optimistic that they will just follow and evaluate the materials based on the evidence presented,” Poa said.
Former lawmakers clashed on Friday over the momentum of impeachment complaints against Duterte, with supporters citing a path to accountability and critics labeling the move a Malacañang-led political maneuver.
Traction
Speaking at the Agenda Forum in Quezon City, former ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro expressed optimism that the complaints would gain more traction than previous attempts.
“I am personally positive now. As long as the President does not interfere, this impeachment can move forward,” Castro said.
While acknowledging that the impeachment issue remains a “numbers game” in the Senate, she argued that the process is unlikely to meet the same fate as past failed attempts when Francis Escudero was Senate president, because public sentiment is shifting.
Former Gabriela representative Liza Maza echoed this sentiment, but pointed to a glaring inconsistency in the impeachment proceedings. While supporting the push for accountability for Duterte, Maza agreed with observations that the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. faces its own share of controversies that remain unaddressed.
“Our position is yes, if you are involved, and the countrymen want impeachment for you to be held accountable, let’s do that, which is why we filed an impeachment complaint for the two of them,” Maza said.
“It is questionable that Congress and the Committee on Justice are reviewing cases selectively,” Maza said. She emphasized that public pressure is the only way to ensure the process does not become “business as usual,” urging voters to demand transparency from all top officials, not just the vice president.
Former representative Mike Defensor took a more adversarial stance, accusing the administration of weaponizing the impeachment process to weaken a potential 2028 rival for Marcos. While he praised the Makabayan bloc for their consistency in filing cases regardless of who is in power, he lambasted other groups for targeting the vice president while ignoring the president.
“What they are doing to Vice President Inday Sara is political, and I am pointing to the administration,” Defensor said. He mentioned the P125-million confidential fund at the heart of the controversy, arguing that if the fund’s transfer was unconstitutional, the blame lies with the source.
Defensor said the president is the “main violator” of the Constitution in this instance because the P125 million was a contingent fund released by the Office of the President.
He pointed to the president’s own confidential funds, which he claimed amounted to billions in 2023 and 2024. “If we will criticize, let’s criticize it all,” he said.
Warning of a “worst-case” trial, Defensor cautioned that the administration might use state resources and intimidation to secure a conviction.
He noted that the Commission on Audit is still reviewing the case, suggesting that advancing toward impeachment now bypasses essential due process.
