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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Marcos impeachment: Questions and answers

Marcos impeachment: Questions and answers

Published Jan 27, 2026 07:53 am

At A Glance

  • The House of Representatives on Monday, Jan.26 initiated the impeachment proceedings against President Marcos. This developed after plenary referred two impeachment complaints against the President to the Committee on Justice.
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. (Mark Balmores/ MANILA BULLETIN)
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. (Mark Balmores/ MANILA BULLETIN)


The House of Representatives on Monday, Jan.26 initiated the impeachment proceedings against President Marcos. This developed after plenary referred two impeachment complaints against the President to the Committee on Justice.
Here are answers to some questions that you might have in mind:
Q. Is President Marcos impeached?
A. No--a long way from it. The House plenary simply launched the process by essentially tasking the Committee on Justice to determine [through public] hearings within 60 session days whether or not the complaints are sufficient in form and in substance. Once they hurdle the sufficiency tests, the complaints will be endorsed for plenary approval via one-third vote.
Q. Why does this process sound long and complicated? Vice President Duterte was impeached rather quickly in the previous 19th Congress.
A. That's because these are two different modes of impeachment we're talking about. The ongoing impeachment against Marcos is following the committee track, wherein a complaint endorsed by at least one House member gets scrutinized in committee hearing. Vice President Duterte's impeachment followed the plenary track, where at least one of third of House members signed and directly endorsed her complaint in plenary, effectively impeaching her. That complaint was signed by 215 out of 306 solons, more than double the required 102.
Q. What's a one-third vote in the current 20th Congress?
A. The magic number is 106 out of 317 sitting House members as of this posting.
Q. What happened to the impeachment complaint against President Marcos that Cavite 4th district Rep. Francisco "Kiko" Barzaga unveiled on Oct. 8, 2025 during his vlog in plenary?
A. "Congressmeow" Barzaga never filed it. It's too late now, since impeachment proceedings against Marcos have been initiated.
Q. What does Majority Leader Ilocos Norte 1st district Rep. Sandro Marcos have to say about all of these? He's the son of the current President.
A. Rep. Marcos has inhibited himself from all discussions on his father's impeachment out of delicadeza.
Q. Does the Makabayan bloc want Vice President Sara Duterte to take over the reins in Malacañang? Because they're behind one of the two impeachment complaints against Marcos.
A. No, because they've announced that they will also file a new impeachment complaint against Duterte next month, pending her unresolved impeachment case in the 19th Congress. They basically want to unseat the country’s top two officials via the constitutional process over allegations of corruption, among other reasons.
Q. Is a double impeachment scenario even possible?
A. That remains to be seen. At any rate, Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro, justice committee chairperson, said her panel would be able to handle deliberations on complaints against both Marcos and Duterte. Meanwhile, Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III said he's ready to act as presiding officer of the Senate impeachment court, will hold trial on Marcos and Duterte if their respective cases prosper.
Q. Will the current impeachment proceedings against Marcos derail legislative work in the House of Representatives?
A. Not really. The justice panel under Luistro will tackle the complaints just like any other bill, and then vote on it based on its merits.
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