Impeachments then and now: Erap, Corona, and VP Sara

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives mustered 215 signatures to officially endorse one of the four impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte.

This months-long process to endorse a complaint came to a head weeks after the first three petitions were filed but not transmitted to the office of House Speaker Martin Romualdez by Secretary General Reginald Velasco. Velasco noted that the chamber's legal department needed time to validate the veracity of these complaints.

Under the rules of the House, impeachment complaints should be included in the chamber's order of business within ten session days of receipt.

Afterward, the complaints should be referred within three session days to the House Committee on Justice, which will determine if they are sufficient in form and substance.

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

In this case, the House relied on a shortcut towards the endorsement of their impeachment push, spearheaded by the Makabayan bloc, who had confirmed launching a signature drive to fast-track the process in December.

The official endorsement of the fourth complaint against VP Duterte followed a majority coalition caucus on early Wednesday, just hours before Congress adjourned for a three-month break to pave the way for the May election season.

It appears as though the process had been dead in the water before progressing suddenly in a matter of hours. Is this typical of the impeachment process, or are forces behind the scenes — as implied by VP Sara herself and her allies — pulling strings to ensure a petition comes to fruition?

DAILY TRIBUNE looks back on Philippine history and examines how two high-profile impeachment cases unfolded.

Understanding impeachment in the Philippines

The impeachment process in the Philippines is governed by Article XI of the 1987 Constitution under the heading, “Accountability of Public Officers.” It emphasizes that “public office is a public trust,” requiring officials to serve with “responsibility, integrity, loyalty, and efficiency.”

Under Article XI, the President, Vice President, members of the Supreme Court, members of the Constitutional Commissions, and the Ombudsman may be removed from office “on impeachment for, and conviction of” offenses such as culpable violations of the Constitution, treason, bribery, graft and corruption, other high crimes, and betrayal of public trust. All other public officials may be removed through other legal mechanisms, but not by impeachment.

According to Section 3(3) of Article XI, “A vote of at least one-third of all the Members of the House shall be necessary either to affirm a favorable resolution with the Articles of Impeachment of the Committee, or override its contrary resolution. The vote of each Member shall be recorded.”

Once the House transmits the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate, the upper chamber acts as the impeachment court. A two-thirds vote in the Senate is required to convict and remove an official from office.

The impeachment of former president Joseph 'Erap' Estrada

Joseph Estrada, the first Philippine president to be impeached, was accused of illegally amassing about $85 million, misappropriating state funds, and accepting bribes from illegal gambling operators.

Articles of impeachment were transmitted from the lower chamber to the Senate on 13 November 2000 by House Speaker Manuel Villar after a Monday Congress session that the New York Times reported lasted a mere five minutes.

His trial began 24 days later on 7 December 2000 and ended on 16 January 2001. The trial lasted 23 days.

Although 115 members of the House endorsed the impeachment motion — surpassing the required one-third threshold — Estrada’s Senate trial ended abruptly in 2001 when senators refused to open an envelope allegedly containing incriminating evidence. This led to a prosecutors’ walkout and sparked the People Power II uprising, ultimately forcing Estrada to step down.

Former chief justice Renato Corona

Renato Corona was the third public official to be impeached in the Philippines. He was impeached by the House of Representatives on 12 December 2011 with 188 votes out of the needed 95, after which the Senate received the Articles of Impeachment on 13 December and convened the impeachment trial on 16 January 2012.

Corona was convicted on 29 May 2012, with 20 senators voting “guilty” and three voting to keep him on the bench. He was found guilty under Article II of the Articles of Impeachment for failing to fully disclose his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).

134 days passed between the beginning of his trial and his impeachment from the Supreme Court bench.