Will the House of Representatives go fast or slow in handling the Vice President Sara Duterte impeachment 2.0?

This is the big question heading to the plenary session Monday afternoon, Feb. 9, when the two verified and endorsed impeachment complaints against the lady official are expected to be placed in the order of business.

From there, the official initiation of the impeachment proceedings can happen in two ways: First, the plenary, through the Committee on Rules, can refer the complaints to the Committee on Justice, which is the panel that scrutinizes such measures.

This was seen as recently as last week during its hearings on the two impeachment complaints filed against President Marcos. The justice panel, chaired by Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro, ended up dismissing the complaints for insufficiency in substance.

Second, at least one-third of the House members currently sitting in plenary (105 of 316 members) can trigger initiation by endorsing an impeachment complaint against Duterte. The complaint, along with the articles of impeachment, will then be transmitted to the Senate.

Luistro, Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, and Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon have all acknowledged the possibility of this so-called "fast-track" mode of impeachment, particularly after House Secretary General Cheloy Garafil confirmed that the two complaints against the Vice President have been submitted to the office of Speaker Faustino "Bojie" Dy III.

As of Sunday, Feb. 8, Luistro, De Lima, and Ridon said they "weren't aware" of any signature campaign for the purpose of swiftly impeaching Duterte this year.

If anything, the fast-track mode--which possible on Monday--could be viewed as the less safe between the two, given the Supreme Court's (SC) two decisions on the failed impeachment proceedings against Duterte in 2025.

Availing of this mode, 215 congressmen signed an impeachment complaint and had the plenary send it to the Senate, only for it to be declared unconstitutional by the SC. The coup de grace came on Jan. 28, 2026, when the SC in its second ruling junked the House's motion for reconsideration (MR) and suggested changes to its rules on impeachment.

Luistro said "caution" must be observed in pursuing the fast-track mode.

"I am a conservative lawyer, I stick to the rules and since we are talking about impeachment and the decision and the resolution both pertains to impeachment process, I am inclined to observe the requirements provided both under the constitutional and in the resolution of the [SC] without of course compromising the independence of the House of Representatives," she earlier said.

A good chunk of the solons who signed the impeachment rap against Duterte in 2025 are still hold seats in House plenary.

Meanwhile, De Lima has admitted to hearing murmurs of a third complaint against Duterte, to be filed on Monday morning. She says the rules doesn't stop this complaint from being included in the order of business in the afternoon plenary session.

Should the complaints against Duterte go through the "committee track" instead, then the justice panel will schedule public hearings to determine whether or not the measures are in order.

Palawan 3rd district Rep. Gil "KABARANGAYJR" Acosta, an ex-officio member of the justice committee, said the task of the panel at this stage is straightforward and limited.

“Simply lang naman ho ‘yung trabaho ng mga miyembro ng Committee on Justice (The job of the members of the Committee on Justice is simple). Number 1, [determine] sufficiency in form; Number 2, [determine] sufficiency in substance,” he said.

Asked to compare the pending impeachment complaints against the Vice President with those earlier filed against President Marcos, which the House had earlier junked, Acosta said it would be premature to draw conclusions.

“Hindi ko pa makita dahil hindi pa natin nabasa yung dalawang complaint (I can't say yet because I haven't read the two complaints),” he said.

He underscored that questions of guilt or innocence do not fall under the House’s role.

“So doon maglalaro regarding guilty or not guilty, hindi sa amin. ‘Yun ay nakaatang sa Senado. Ito kung meron man lang basehan o walang basehan (So the question of guilty or not guilty will be decided there, not by us. That responsibility rests with the Senate, whether there is a basis or none at all.)

The Senate is constitutionally mandated to hold an impeachment trial forthwith once it receives the articles of impeachment. It wasn't able to hold an actual trial with Duterte last year.