Tiangco: Marcos faces fresh impeachment threat
The Supreme Court ruling declaring provisions of the 2024 and 2025 budgets unconstitutional could pave the way for groups to file impeachment complaints against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. again, a lawmaker said.
Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco said a renewed impeachment push against Marcos was possible given the implications of the high court’s decision on the President’s role in the budget process.
“There was someone who mentioned to me that there is this one group that is thinking of filing an impeachment complaint against the President after the one-year bar in February,” Tiangco said in a TV interview.
“I think this is one of the reasons why a motion for reconsideration of the ruling is needed because it can be used against him,” he added.
The ruling cited by the lawmaker was issued on 20 October, declaring unconstitutional the P449.5 billion in unprogrammed appropriations inserted into the 2024 national budget and the P17.99 billion allocated for the Special Road Fund under the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
Tiangco noted that one issue that could be raised in an impeachment complaint was the President’s failure to exercise his veto power as the final signatory on the budget, allowing him to reject budget amendments made by Congress.
Marcos had vetoed P92.5 billion in unprogrammed funds before approving the P6.79-trillion budget under the 2026 GAA.
On Thursday, the Office of the Solicitor General confirmed that it would seek clarification and partial reconsideration of the high court’s decision on the previous budgets.
Three impeachment complaints were filed against Marcos in 2026. The complaints were later found to be “insufficient in substance” by the House Committee on Justice on 4 February.
Members of the House of Representatives later voted to dismiss the complaints, with 284 voting in favor, eight against and four abstaining, on 10 February.
Under Article XI, Section 3(5) of the 1987 Constitution, high-ranking public officials cannot be subjected to another impeachment complaint within one year of the initiation of previous impeachment proceedings.
The one-year bar begins on the date the previous complaint is finally disposed of and terminated.