Apart from a “very short time frame,” losing votes from Mindanao could be a key factor discouraging congressmen running for a national post in May 2025 from supporting the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, a top official of the House of Representatives said Tuesday.

In an interview, House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said House members may be “hesitant” to sign one of the impeachment petitions for fear it would boomerang on them in the coming mid-term polls.

“The moment they endorse through their signature, through a resolution, any of the complaints it could affect their reelection, especially [if] a congressman is running for a national post like for senator or partylist,” he said.

“Maybe one of their concerns is the votes they could potentially gather from Mindanao,” he added.

Unlike congressmen whose only concern in elections is their respective legislative districts, party-list and senatorial candidates are elected at large by the entire electorate.

In November last year, the Commission on Elections-Davao Region disclosed that more than three million voters had registered for the May 2025 elections, with Davao City, the bailiwick of the Dutertes, topping the list with 1,007,794 new voters.

Davao de Oro followed with 721,737 registered voters, Davao del Sur with 464,812, and Davao Oriental ranked fifth with 435,188. Davao Occidental had the fewest registered voters at 205,737.

Ahead of the 2022 elections, Davao City was ranked as the third most vote-rich city in the Philippines, following Cebu City and Caloocan City.

Velasco said that in a meeting today with the Makabayan bloc — which endorsed the second petition — and other supporters of the impeachment complaints, the consolidation of the three separate petitions into one unified complaint will be discussed.

“They are planning to talk with the other proponents to consolidate their complaints into one, which is allowed by our rules,” he said.

The Makabayan bloc — Representatives France Castro of ACT Teachers, Arlene Brosas of Gabriela and Raoul Manuel of Kabataan — revealed they had started collecting the required one-third votes, or equivalent to 106 members of the House, to fast-track the impeachment proceedings and elevate the petitions to the Senate, which will sit as a trial court.

Castro previously disclosed that some members of the minority bloc had pledged their support while congressmen from the supermajority coalition were still waiting for the official stance of their

However, Velasco said that some congressmen from the majority bloc were still mulling whether to endorse one of the three impeachment complaints or endorse a fourth petition this week or when the session resumes on 13 January.

The complaints accuse Duterte of culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption, and betrayal of public trust — all grounds for impeachment.

The petitions are pending in Velasco’s office. Under the Constitution, the House Secretary General shall immediately refer the complaints to the Office of the Speaker.

After Speaker Martin Romualdez receives the impeachment complaints, they must be included in the order of business within 10 session days.

Subsequently, the complaint will be forwarded to the House Committee on Justice within three session days, where it will be evaluated for its sufficiency in both form and substance.

Within 60 session days, the panel shall submit its report to the plenary. The House then has 10 session days to calendar it for resolution.

However, based on the House calendar, Congress will have only nine session days when it reconvenes on Monday, 13 January, after a month-long holiday break. On 7 February, Congress will adjourn again for the election campaign.

Given the lengthy process, some congressmen believe that ousting Duterte is highly unlikely. Whether the House opts for a shortcut or secures the required one-third votes, their efforts may still be uncertain, as the terms of current lawmakers in both the House and Senate will end on 30 June, with a new batch of legislators set to take office shortly thereafter.

The complaints, coming from multi-sectoral groups, are heavily anchored on the findings of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, which investigated alleged irregularities in Vice President Duterte’s use of P612.5 million in confidential funds — P500 million for the Office of the Vice President and P112.5 million for the Department of Education.