Ridon: 215 lawmakers back VP impeachment

MANILA, Philippines — There are 215 members of the House of Representatives who have indicated support for the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said yesterday.

The number matched last year’s tally in the first impeachment case against Duterte.

“From consultations, we are now at around 215 House members supporting the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte,” Ridon told reporters in a Viber message.

He said the latest tally unfolded after consultations with lawmakers. He did not give details but said he was stating only “general numbers.”

“This is now more than two-thirds of all House members, and approximates the total number of votes in last year’s impeachment plenary vote,” Ridon, chairman of the House committee on public accounts, said.

Last Wednesday, House Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno estimated that at least 180 congressmen are likely to vote for Duterte’s impeachment.

Under the 1987 Constitution, all that is needed to impeach is just one-third of total House membership.

All 318 House members have each been given copies of the 93-page report containing the Articles of Impeachment against the Vice President.

The report, prepared by the committee on justice chaired by Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro, needs the votes of at least 106 lawmakers – or one-third of the members of the chamber – before it could be transmitted to the Senate for a full-blown impeachment trial.

Duterte is being accused of misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds and of having unexplained P6.77-billion wealth, among others alleged offenses.

“These acts make it glaringly apparent that respondent is utterly unfit to hold public office, much less the second highest position in government. In fact, respondent conducts herself in a way that incites disorder and chaos to the organized government,” the report read.

In a unanimous vote earlier, panel members agreed that Duterte should be impeached, perpetually banned from occupying public office, and prosecuted for the impeachable offenses she committed as vice president and education secretary.

The House justice committee said Duterte’s actions were not isolated lapses but “interconnected manifestations of a pattern of behavior that erodes public trust and endangers democratic stability.”

These include her open threat to have President Marcos, his wife First Lady Liza Araneta and former speaker Martin Romualdez assassinated after her chief of staff, lawyer Zuleika Lopez, was cited in contempt and detained in November 2024.

“The explicit threats against the life of the President and other high officials, her conduct that undermines and threatens democratic stability, combined with the misuse of confidential funds, acts of bribery and corruption of public officials, and SALN law violations, collectively demonstrate a consistent disregard for the duties of her office and the oath she swore to uphold,” it added.

Meanwhile, Sen. Francis Pangilinan said he is considering an offer of the Senate leadership to act as “Impeachment Manager.”

“It’s just a suggestion. So nothing final. But we’ll see. It’s really the decision of the majority,” Pangilinan said in a chance interview.

Pangilinan said his role would be similar to a “clerk of court administrator” who “opens and closes shop” during the trial proceedings.

The impeachment court rules will have to be amended to include the new position of a court manager tasked to ensure orderly proceedings.

Pangilinan was the leadership’s pick for “impeachment manager” being one of the few lawyers in the Senate. - Marc Jayson Cayabyab