And then there were only two impeachment complaints--but two that could still theoretically impeach and possibly unseat Vice President Sara Duterte.

The House Committee on Justice dropped two of the four impeachment complaints filed against Duterte during its initial hearing Monday, March 2, leaving only two complaints--the Father Joel Saballa, et.al complaint and Atty. Nathaniel Cabrera complaint--as active.

The Saballa and Cabrera complaints--which were the third and fourth complaints filed against Duterte this year based on chronology--were declared "sufficient in form" by the committe chaired by Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro.

Nobody from the panel objected to the separate motions to declare the two raps sufficient in form, which was the first hurdle that they had to overcome.

This means that these two complaints would now be tested for sufficiency in substance--a much higher hurdle--in the scheduled justice panel hearing tomorrow, March 3.

The firs two complaints filed--the France Castro, et al complaint and Francisco Aquino Dee complaint--were dropped by the Luistro panel for different reasons. Both raps were filed last Feb. 2.

Shortly after the hearing began, the committee approved the withdrawal of the second complaint filed by Aquino Dee and the fellow members of civil society group Tindig Pilipinas.

“On behalf of the 17 complainants of the second complaint, with me today are seven other complainants, I am confirming our intention to withdraw our impeachment complaint,” Aquino Dee told the panel.

The move, described by the complainants as a step to “make the process towards accountability more expedient,” streamlines the proceedings and narrows the active complaints before the justice panel. The group said they would instead support the Saballa complaint, which was similar to their own.

On the other hand, the Castro, et al complaint was effectively "set aside" by the committee following a 22-10-0 (yes-no-abstain) vote.

"The chair sets aside the first impeachment complaint, the Castro et al impeachment complaint, on the ground of violation of one-year prohibition period. So ruled,” Luistro declared.

The debate on the particular complaint centered on whether or not the Feb. 2 filing fell within the one-year constitutional bar under Article XI, Section 3(5) of the 1987 Constitution. This pertains to the impeachment complaint against Duterte that was directly submitted to the Senate on Feb. 5, 2025.

The complaint, filed by former activist lawmakers, civil society groups and endorsed by the Makabayan bloc, was filed four days before the Feb. 6, 2026 date referenced in the July 25, 2025 Supreme Court (SC) ruling that struck down the 2025 impeachment case.

Committee member Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua highlighted the importance of resolving the one-year bar issue before moving forward with the proceedings.

“Otherwise, this will all be inutile, useless, if eventually this will again be used in the court to question the legality and constitutionality of this first impeachment complaint,” Chua noted.

Filed by priests, nuns, and lawyers last Feb. 9, the Saballa, et al complaint raises allegations on the alleged misuse of P612 million in confidential funds and claims of corruption within the Department of Education (DepEd)"during Duterte’s tenure as secretary.

Meawhile, the Cabrera complaint, filed last Feb. 18, centers on alleged omissions in Duterte’s statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) and claims of unexplained wealth disproportionate to lawful income.

That only two impeachment complaints "survived" the first hearing doesn't make Duterte any safer from being impeached by the House and possibly unseated by a Senate impeachment court.

Justice committee vice chairperson, San Juan City lone district Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora pointed out that Monday's proceedings didnt delve into the actual merits of the complaints.

If anything, the panel only needs to determine the sufficiency in substance of two complaints, instead of the original four.

"Mas mapapabilis ang proseso kung magfo-focus tayo dun sa ibang impeachment complaints (The process will be hastened if we focus on the other impeachment complaints)," Zamora said.

Luistro agreed with this assessment. “Apparently, we will be able to move faster considering that we have two impeachment complaints na lang (remaining) compared to when we started this morning when we had four."

“So to answer your question, yes, I believe that there’s basis to say that we can move faster this time,” she added.