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Last year’s impeachment probe against Vice President Sara Duterte did not proceed to a Senate trial when the Supreme Court voided the impeachment last Jul 25, 2025, citing the “one-year bar rule.” This essentially prohibits more than one impeachment proceeding within a one-year period, which meant that the succeeding probe could only resume on February 6, 2026.
The Philippine House of Representatives moved to impeach the Vice President on February 5, 2025, with 215 out of 306 House members voting in favor of the impeachment. There were delays with the Senate’s convening as a trial court, which proved to be a controversial issue as critics argued that the probe was supposed to commence immediately. When the Senate finally convened on June 10, 2025, a majority of the senators voted to remand the Articles of Impeachment to Congress due to constitutional and procedural issues.
The second impeachment proceedings resumed on February 26, 2026 during the 20th Congress. While the first impeachment only proceeded through endorsement signatures on the complaint, this second trial went through a formal plenary vote that took place on May 11. Out of 318 lawmakers, 257 voted to impeach the Vice President, with 25 voting no and nine abstaining. Twenty-six did not participate. Below, we map out who voted for Sara Duterte’s second impeachment.
The first impeachment proceedings showed that the congressional districts surrounding Davao City, the Dutertes’ political stronghold, generally did not support the impeachment complaint. This time, the voting patterns were less predictable. Several districts that previously supported the VP’s impeachment either abstained or did not participate in the vote, while some lawmakers who did not sign it the first time ultimately voted in favor of the impeachment. Meanwhile, Luzon and the Visayas appeared to have further consolidated their support for impeaching Duterte.
A majority of party-list representatives likewise voted in the affirmative. Most reelected representatives maintained their previous positions, while a lot newly elected members who were not part of the previous Congress also voted in favor of the impeachment.
Why was the Vice President impeached by Congress?
The House of Representatives cited four impeachment charges.
Irregular liquidation and misuse of confidential funds
The Vice President allegedly amassed at least P500M from the Office of the Vice President in 2022, 2023, and 2024, while P112.5M was illicitly obtained from the Department of Education (DepEd) in 2023. The VP served as the department secretary from June 2022 until July 2024.
She is also accused of submitting fake documents and receipts from non-existent individuals while disregarding mandatory legal rules to protect the misuse of public funds.
SALN violation and unexplained wealth
Duterte’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN), according to the Articles of Impeachment, shows that her wealth is disproportionate to her income. Congress also found that the VP failed to disclose her actual financial standing in her 2022, 2023, and 2024 SALN.
The SALN is a sworn public document that details the total wealth and finances of all public officials and government employees.
Bribery and procurement-related corruption
Duterte is also accused of offering money to DepEd officials to sway them to disregard proper procurement procedures. She allegedly used public funds for bribery and asked officials to resign from their posts should they decline to compromise.
Assassination plot, grave threats, and sedition
She is also facing allegations of plotting to assassinate President Bongbong Marcos, his wife and First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos, and Former Speaker of the House Martin Romualdez, Marcos’ cousin. Duterte is also said to have incited violence and destabilization.
Sara Duterte and Bongbong Marcos were running mates in the 2022 presidential elections under the UniTeam alliance. The two have been in a heated feud since they were elected to office.
Upon receiving the Articles of Impeachment, the Senate convened as an impeachment court on May 18, 2026. The Senate itself is currently mired in controversy due to the recent change in leadership and the unfortunate shooting incident that is still under investigation as of this writing.