The House of Representatives of the Philippines Committee on Justice has set aside the first impeachment complaint filed against Sara Duterte after lawmakers ruled it violated the constitutional one-year bar rule.
The decision came after the committee voted 22 affirmative, 10 negative, and zero abstentions to exclude the complaint from the panel’s impeachment proceedings.
The complaint was filed by members of the Makabayan bloc, including former France Castro.
The motion to set aside the complaint was introduced by Jonathan Keith Flores.
Lawmakers cited the one-year bar rule under the Constitution, which prohibits the filing of more than one impeachment complaint against the same official within a one-year period.
The first impeachment complaint against Duterte was filed on Feb. 2, 2026. However, the one-year restriction was set to lapse on Feb. 6.
According to Joel Chua, lawmakers must exercise caution in interpreting rulings of the Supreme Court of the Philippines regarding the constitutional rule.
With the committee’s decision, only two impeachment complaints against the vice president remain for discussion by the justice panel.
Meanwhile, those who filed the initial complaint expressed disappointment over the committee’s move.
Castro said they were saddened that their complaint was set aside despite their belief that it did not violate the one-year bar rule.
Despite the decision, she said they would still participate in the committee hearings in order to push for accountability from the vice president.
The Justice Committee is expected to continue deliberations on the remaining impeachment complaints as part of the ongoing proceedings in the House.
