Hours before the scheduled plenary vote, House Assistant Majority Leader and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said support for the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte had grown to as many as 230 lawmakers, far beyond the constitutional minimum required to send the case to the Senate.
Speaking on ANC’s Morning Matters on Monday, Adiong said the House leadership initially counted around 180 lawmakers backing the impeachment complaints last week, but support has since increased.
“The last time I checked, we are about 200 to 230,” Adiong said, referring to lawmakers expected to vote in favor of transmitting the reconciled Saballa and Cabrera impeachment complaints to the Senate.
Under the Constitution, at least one-third of House members, or 106 votes, are needed for the Articles of Impeachment to move to the Senate for trial.
If the projected numbers materialize, it would mark one of the strongest impeachment votes in recent House history and significantly strengthen the momentum toward a Senate impeachment trial.
Adiong said the growing support reflects what lawmakers view as compelling evidence presented during the House Committee on Justice hearings.
“Well, it only says about how convincing the evidence that was provided and came out in the open during the confirmatory hearings of the Justice Committee,” he said.
The lawmaker stressed that the House’s role is not to determine guilt, but to decide whether the allegations warrant a formal impeachment trial before the Senate acting as an impeachment court.
He said lawmakers were expected to debate the committee report on the House floor Monday, with Justice Committee chairperson Batangas Rep. Gerville “Jinky” Luistro set to sponsor the reconciled complaints before plenary deliberations begin.
Adiong also acknowledged that lawmakers outside the Justice Committee may still raise clarificatory questions before the final vote.
The impeachment complaints consolidated by the House Committee on Justice contain four Articles of Impeachment against Duterte.
Article I centers on the alleged misuse and questionable liquidation of P612.5 million in confidential funds under the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, including issues raised by the Commission on Audit and findings involving acknowledgment receipts.
Article II involves allegations of unexplained wealth, discrepancies in Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs), and around P6.77 billion in covered and suspicious transactions flagged in Anti-Money Laundering Council records involving Duterte and her husband.
Article III concerns alleged bribery and cash payments involving officials from the Department of Education.
Article IV pertains to allegations involving grave threats, inciting to sedition, and an alleged assassination plot tied to Duterte’s public remarks.
Adiong said the House is expected to transmit the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate immediately once approved by the plenary.
“This is part of our constitutional mandate,” he said.