Impeachment drive against VP Sara Duterte has enough votes to advance to Senate trial — coalition

Manila: An early tally at the House of Representatives shows at least 137 lawmakers supporting the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, a number well above the 106 votes needed to send the charges to the Senate for trial.

Party-list Coalition Foundation Inc. (PCFI) secretary general Rep. Jude Acidre said Thursday that about 47 party-list lawmakers are backing the impeachment.

Combined with support from the National Unity Party (NUP) and Lakas-CMD, the total reaches a minimum of 137 votes, he said.

Sara, 47, is the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, 81. The elder Duterte is facing trial for "crimes against humanity" in the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague over his bloody drug war.

The former president has consistently maintained high popularity and strong approval ratings in Mindanao and the Visayas throughout his presidency and beyond. As of May 2025, he continues to hold a strong trust rating, with studies showing his popularity often above 80%.

'Clearer, more polished reasons' to impeach Duterte

“As we started to go through the evidence, our argument that the Vice President should be impeached became clearer and more polished,” Acidre said in a virtual media briefing.

Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon reported nearly 200 votes in favour on Tuesday, while Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong placed the count at around 180 on Wednesday.

Puno, who heads the NUP, said at least 30 of its members will support the charges.

Adiong said more than 60 Lakas-CMD lawmakers are also backing them.

Only 106 votes are required to elevate the articles of impeachment to the Senate, which would sit as an impeachment court.

The development comes as the House Justice Committee continues hearings on the case, including review of income tax records from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

Sara Duterte is seen as a frontrunner in the 2028 presidential race. On February 18, 2026, she announced her intention to run for the country's presidency during a press conference in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila.

If she gets impeached, with the 24-member Senate acting as a court, Sara Duterte will be barred from running for office.

Duterte was impeached last year, but the Supreme Court voided the proceedings over a technicality, procedural flaws and a Constitutional ban on multiple impeachment cases against the same official within one year.

Acidre said the goal is to match or exceed last year’s 215 votes.

Impeachment: In a nutshell

The impeachment effort against VP Sara Duterte, a likely presidential candidate, gained significant momentum in early 2026, and centres on allegations of corruption, misuse of public funds, and threats against high-ranking government officials.

Duterte’s camp has denied wrongdoing and called the moves politically motivated.

Key allegations driving the impeachment (as of May 2026):

• Suspicious financial fransactions: The House Justice Committee confirmed that 18 bank transactions involving billions of pesos, linked to Vice President Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio, matched reports from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC). These records reportedly showed over P6.7 billion in bank transactions, with roughly P4.4 billion in inflows.

• Confidential fund misuse: The complaints allege misuse of ₱612.5 million in confidential funds during her time at the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd). A specific focus is the ₱125 million spent in just 11 days in December 2022, which the Commission on Audit (COA) partially disallowed.

• Assassination threat & safety allegations: The impeachment includes charges related to a recorded video where Duterte allegedly spoke of threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Araneta Marcos, and Speaker Martin Romualdez. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) authenticated this video.

• Betrayal of public trust & other high crimes: Complainants accused her of bribing DepEd officials with cash-filled envelopes, using security officers to transport large amounts of money, and initiating destabilisation efforts against the current administration.