VP impeachment raps to be transmitted to Speaker's office this week

The three impeachment complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte are set to be forwarded this week to the Office of the Speaker, a House official confirmed Monday, after nearly two months of stagnation.

In an ambush interview, House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said he would act on the petitions this week after allowing ample time for a supposed group of lawmakers to file a fourth impeachment complaint, which he previously cited as the cause of the delay.

“As of now, there is still no fourth impeachment complaint filed. So, you know, I think we have given them enough time. So, we will have to transmit the impeachment complaints within this week,” Velasco told reporters in a mix of Filipino and English.

The petitioners, particularly the Makabayan bloc, have expressed doubts about the rumored fourth complaint, suspecting it might be a tactic to stall the impeachment process.

Velasco, however, insisted that he had received “no instruction” from House leadership to delay action on the petitions.

In early January, Velasco hinted at the potential filing of a fourth impeachment complaint from a group of lawmakers from both the majority and minority blocs. He said these legislators aimed to expedite the process by securing the required one-third vote — or 103 votes — to directly elevate the complaints to the Senate for trial.

Duterte faces three impeachment complaints in the House of Representatives, all filed in December. The petitions are based on alleged irregularities involving her 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 during her tenure as its secretary.

Despite the House being dominated by Duterte’s critics, Velasco confirmed that the current number of endorsers remains insufficient to fast-track the process. Several lawmakers have reportedly cooled their support for the impeachment efforts, citing time constraints as Congress is set to adjourn on Friday for a three-month break for the campaign season.

The session will resume on 2 June, after the 12 May elections. The time crunch is seen as a major hurdle that could derail the impeachment bid, though some petitioners argue that now is the most opportune time to proceed.

While Duterte has consistently denied any wrongdoing, she remains unfazed, viewing the potential trial as an opportunity to directly address the corruption allegations against her.

Earlier, lawyer Michael Henry Yusingco, an independent policy analyst and constitutional expert, claimed that the House violated its rules by stalling the progress of the impeachment complaints. He argued that Velasco has “no authority” to delay the referral of the petitions and stressed that the same rules apply to Speaker Martin Romualdez, whose influence, he claimed, has played a significant role in the stalemate.