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Delon Porcalla - The Philippine Star
February 20, 2026 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The four impeachment complaints filed separately before the House of Representatives against Vice President Sara Duterte are now all under the custody of Speaker Faustino Dy III following the transmittal of the records from the secretary-general’s office.
House secretary-general Cheloy Garafil confirmed yesterday that she has “transmitted to the Office of the Speaker” the complaint filed by lawyer Nathaniel Cabrera, which she received early Wednesday night and endorsed by La Union 1st district Rep. Paolo Ortega V and Manila 6th district Rep. Benny Abante.
“The OSG (Office of Secretary-General)’s role is purely ministerial, confined to receiving and transmitting pleadings and documents filed with the House,” she said, vowing that any action will “proceed strictly in accordance with the (1987) Constitution and the rules of the House.”
All the four impeachment complaints, the fourth of which is the Cabrera suit, along with the first three – Makabayan bloc, Tindig Pilipinas and the church and religious groups led by lawyer Amando Virgil Ligutan – are now in the office of Speaker Dy.
The House is expected to refer all the four impeachment complaints to the justice committee.
The committee, led by Batangas 2nd dsitrict Rep. Gerville Luistro, will first determine whether the suits are sufficient in form and in substance, then decide whether to consolidate them, and later vote whether to send it to plenary, where mustering a one-third vote of 318 will send it to Senate for trial.
Inversely, if all the cases fail to pass the substance test, then they will go all the way to dustbin.
‘Demand impeach scrutiny’
The “serious and disturbing” allegations of unexplained wealth and omissions in Vice President Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) compelled Ortega to endorse the fourth impeachment complaint against her.
“This is about constitutional accountability – the SALN is mandatory and must be complete and truthful, and any undeclared asset or unexplained wealth is a grave issue,” Ortega said.
The complaint alleges that certain bank accounts, properties and significant cash movements were not fully reflected in Duterte’s SALNs, raising questions about whether her declared net worth accurately represents her true financial position.
“If public officials are required to disclose all assets and live modestly, then any material omission is a serious constitutional concern that the House cannot ignore,” Ortega said.
He also cited the sworn affidavit of alleged Duterte bagman Ramil Madriaga, who described the transport and delivery of millions of pesos in cash in duffel bags following the encashment of confidential and intelligence funds allocated to the Office of the Vice President and previously to the Department of Education.
“These confidential and intelligence funds amounting to hundreds of millions of pesos are subject to strict audit rules, and when there are sworn accounts of large cash transfers, those must be reconciled with SALN disclosures,” Ortega said.
Ortega nevertheless stressed that endorsing the complaint does not prejudge the Vice President.
“This is not a conviction. This is a process. But when there are sworn statements about large cash transfers and serious red flags in asset declarations, the House cannot look away,” he pointed out.
“The Constitution is clear. If there are material omissions or unexplained assets, accountability must follow,” Ortega added.
‘Impeachable offense’
Vice President Duterte’s alleged admission that she had spoken to someone willing to kill President Marcos constitutes an impeachable offense and a clear betrayal of public trust, House senior deputy majority leader and Iloilo 3rd district Rep. Lorenz Defensor said yesterday.
The allegation – cited in several impeachment complaints now pending before the House – was the same ground Defensor invoked when he signed an impeachment complaint against the Vice President last year.
“The very reason why I signed the impeachment complaint last year was because there is no vice president who will say that he/she talked to people ready to kill a president,” Defensor said in an ambush interview Wednesday. “That will always be an impeachable offense and a betrayal of public trust.”
Defensor stressed that the principle applies regardless of who occupies the presidency.
“If Vice President Sara Duterte wins as president and she is told by her vice president that he/she talked to people ready to kill her, I will sign the impeachment complaint again whoever he/she is,” Defensor said. – Jose Rodel Clapano
