House ready to receive new Sara impeachment complaints

The House of Representatives is ready to accept new impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte starting 6 February 2026.

House Committee on Public Accounts Chairman Terry Ridon of the Bicol Saro Party-list said on Saturday that the chamber is prepared to proceed under the Constitution and House rules while complying with the Supreme Court’s clarified notice requirements on the so-called express route of impeachment filing.

“We respect the decision of the Supreme Court on the said issue. But we are clearing that come 6 February, the House of Representatives is ready to receive and hear all the new complaints against VP Sara,” Ridon said.

Ridon said that in resolving the chamber’s motion for reconsideration, the High Court effectively removed the restrictive due process requirements imposed in its earlier decision, particularly those requiring advance notice and copies of evidence to be furnished to impeachable officers at the filing stage.

“Umatras po ang Korte Suprema doon sa restrictive due process requirements nila sa original decision nila kung saan re-require nila noon na bigyan ng pagkakataon ang mga respondent impeachable officers na sumagot at magkaroon ng kopya ng mga ebidensya. Wala na po ito ngayon sa resolution po ng motion for reconsideration,” Ridon said.

He explained that the Court’s modification now places the documentary notice burden on House members pursuing impeachment through the express or one-third route, a framework he said the chamber can operationalize without delaying constitutionally recognized processes for initiating cases.

“Requirement na lang ng SC ay una; lahat ng sasali na House members na sasali sa isang impeachment complaint under the express route ay dapat may kopya ng draft impeachment complaint at lahat ng mga kalakip na ebidensya. Panglawa; lahat po ng miyembro na kasama sa plenary deliberations nito pong impeachment route na under the express route ay dapat may kopya rin ng articles of impeachment at ‘yung kalakip na mga ebidensya,” he said.

Meanwhile, House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability Chairman Joel Chua of Manila said lawmakers will comply with the ruling but reserve disagreement on portions they believe intrude on internal House rules.

“While we will abide by the order of the high bench and we are respecting the order it doesn’t mean that we agree,” said Chua, who is also a vice chairperson of the House Committee on Justice.

Chua pointed to what he described as a shift from the use of “session day” to “calendar day” in the Court’s latest ruling.

He explained that a continuous sitting over two dates is treated as one session day in Congress and warned that redefining the term for impeachment purposes could affect House timing rules.

Chua also flagged the inclusion of the “deemed initiated” language in the ruling, which he said could trigger the one-year bar rule if the House fails to act within 10 days under the new interpretation.

“At hindi ko rin… masisisi kung bakit ‘yung iba pong legal luminaries at ang ating Senate President, Senate President Tito Sotto, ay sinasabi na nagkakaroon ng judicial overreach,” Chua said.