Will Sara Duterte's presidential bid affect one-third vote for impeachment?

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February 18, 2026 | 6:03pm

MANILA, Philippines — House Senior Deputy Majority Leader Lorenz Defensor said that securing the endorsement of one-third of all House members to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte now appears unlikely, especially after she announced her 2028 presidential bid.

"As of right now, as of today, I cannot see getting one-third of endorsement from the members of the House of Representatives," he said in an ambush interview on Wednesday, February 18. "But I can tell you right now na aabot ito sa (this will reach the) Committee on Justice." 

Duterte confirmed her 2028 presidential run at a press conference on Wednesday morning, delivering a speech asking for forgiveness from the public for helping President Bongbong Marcos win the 2022 elections. 

Defensor added that House lawmakers who endorsed the fourth complaint in 2025 are still dismayed after the Senate delayed the trial for six months, and later, when the Supreme Court struck down the impeachment as unconstitutional. 

"As of today, malabo 'yung express na may one-third endorsement and immediate transmittal to the Senate for trial forthwith," he said. 

The so-called "express" or "fast-track" mode of impeachment requires the endorsement of at least one-third of all House members in a single complaint, allowing it to proceed directly to the Senate as articles of impeachment.

This was the approach the House attempted last year. However, the Supreme Court ruled that Congress failed to refer the first three complaints to the justice committee within the required 10-session-day period, which it clarified should be counted as calendar days in the context of impeachment.

The calendar days would cover Mondays to Wednesdays, when Congress is in session, excluding holidays. 

Defensor, one of the elected impeachment prosecutors in the 19th Congress, said the more likely scenario is that the complaints will be referred to the House justice committee, which will determine their sufficiency in form and substance.

Even if a complaint is not endorsed by one-third of House members, the plenary must still vote on whether to adopt the justice committee's recommendation to impeach Duterte or not. A one-third vote of all members is still required to approve the articles of impeachment and authorize their transmittal to the Senate.

For Defensor, however, Duterte's announcement appears to be a "strategic decision" designed to rally allies ahead of the 2028 polls, potentially shaping how some lawmakers position themselves on the impeachment issue.

"There is a possibility na it will affect the voting of all the members and it will also depend on how the evidence against her will be presented, kung napakabigat (if it's grave) it may sway towards against her, or it will sway in her favor. Depends. It is a strategic decision to announce it today," he said. 

Since the first two impeachment complaints were filed on February 2, the House of Representatives must include them in the Order of Business by February 24. Otherwise, the impeachment proceedings will again be barred under the one-year rule.

The complaints repeat earlier allegations against Duterte, including the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds, "fictitious" fund recipients, bribery at the Department of Education, conspiracy to commit murder over alleged death threats against the president, and abuse of power.