IMPEACHMENT complaints may have been filed against Vice President Sara Duterte in the House of Representatives but some lawmakers, especially those eyeing national positions in the 2025 midterm elections, may opt not to support ousting the country’s second-highest government official.

House Secretary General Reginald Velasco suggested that congressmen running for higher office could avoid signing the complaint to avoid earning the ire of voters in Mindanao where Duterte remains highly popular.

To move forward, the impeachment complaint requires at least 103 signatures from lawmakers to be transmitted to the Senate.

However, with only 15 session days left in the current legislative calendar, time is running out.

Velasco pointed out that the process could take up to 18 session days, making it unlikely that the impeachment will be completed before the 19th Congress adjourns in June.

Beyond the tight timeline, the upcoming elections play a significant role in lawmakers’ decisions.

Meanwhile, lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc have called for a meeting with other endorsers and complainants of the impeachment complaint.

The consultation, set for Wednesday, January 8, is aimed at strategizing how to push the impeachment process forward.

Duterte’s invitation was signed by Representatives France Castro, Arlene Brosas, and Raoul Manuel, who all backed the second impeachment complaint against her.

The meeting will be held at 10 a.m. in the Minority Conference Room, with participants discussing ways to move the impeachment forward.

Lawyer Amando Virgil Ligutan, who represents the complainants in the third complaint, expressed his openness to collaborating with other groups.

As of last week, the three complaints remain under review by the Office of the House Secretary General.(CMM)

• Tags
• #Sara Duterte
• #House of Representatives
• #2025 Midterm Elections
• #Reginald Velasco
• #Impeachment
• #Mindanao