2nd impeachment complaint vs Marcos stalled at House

January 22, 2026 | 11:26am

MANILA, Philippines (Updated 11:56 a.m.) — Anti-corruption advocates from various sectoral groups on Thursday, January 22, attempted to file an impeachment complaint against President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. over alleged betrayal of public trust.

However, the House Office of the Secretary General (OSG) refused to accept the filing because Secretary General Cheloy Garafil was not available to receive it.

This is because Garafil is expected to be conferred the Order of the Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon by Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei on January 23.

Human rights lawyers and Bayan Muna Chairperson Neri Colmenares said her physical absence should not prevent the filing of an impeachment complaint.

The House rules state that complaints be filed with the OSG and not necessarily the secretary general themselves.

The complaint filed by progressive groups was supposed to be the second impeachment complaint filed against the president this week, and the complainants consider it filed despite Garafil's absence.

The three-member Makabayan bloc of the House minority was set to endorse the complaint, as it had done in previous impeachment efforts. They similarly endorsed the second complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte in 2024 and signed the fourth in February 2025.

The complainants come from progressive groups representing workers, professionals, teachers, students, farmers and the urban poor. They cited three articles of impeachment, which include allegations of large-scale plunder carried out through "presidential and congressional allocations" in the national budget, as well as the continued use and alleged abuse of unprogrammed appropriations, even for anomalous infrastructure projects.

The complaint also argued that Marcos should be impeached for allegedly allowing a system of kickbacks and "commitments" in infrastructure projects that purportedly benefited him and high-ranking government officials.

Bayan President Renato Reyes said allegations involving Marcos and several former Cabinet members who later resigned have yet to be investigated, a situation the groups claim points to the president's complicity.

If the OSG accepted the complaint on Thursday, it would fall within the period that allows it to be referred to the House justice committee together with the first complaint, which has already been transmitted to the Speaker's office.

However, if the complaint is filed on January 26, when Congress resumes session, it is unclear whether it can still be referred to the House justice committee alongside the first complaint.

Reyes said the OSG's executive director could not assure the complainants that a Monday filing would allow their complaint to be taken up by the justice panel.

If the first complaint is referred to the justice committee before the second could be filed or included in the Order of Business, the Makabayan-endorsed complaint could be barred from consideration under the one-year prohibition rule.

Several House lawmakers have described the first complaint as rushed and deficient, saying it has little chance of prospering in the chamber.

Marcos continues to enjoy the support of a majority of House members. If the House justice committee dismisses the impeachment complaints and the plenary fails to secure enough votes to overturn the decision, future complainants will have to wait until next year to file another case.

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