According to the militant group leader, voting "no" to the Vice President’s seemingly imminent second impeachment in as many years would force the solons to defend before their own constituents why it's OK to leave millions worth of public funds--in this case, the confidential funds controlled by Duterte--unaccounted for.

"Kahit confidential fund 'yan, nakalagay sa batas na dapat may proof of payment. Kung ang teorya ng Vice President ay secret lahat ng gastos, eh di goodbye billions of public funds," Colmenares said in a recent DZMM interview.

(Even if that is a confidential fund, the law requires proof of payment. If the Vice President’s theory is that all expenses are secret, then goodbye to billions of public funds.)

Last April 29, the House Committee on Justice chaired by Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro voted to declare probable cause in the two impeachment complaints initiated against the Vice President this year.

The allegations of impeachable offenses in the complaints include the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds, unexplained wealth flagged by the Anti-Money Laundering Council, and Duterte's November 2024 on-camera threat to have President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and then-House Speaker Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez assassinated.

The earliest that the Vice President could get impeached is on Monday afternoon, May 4, when congressmen convene for the first time following their six-week long summer break. By then, the justice panel's committee report will have been ready for plenary sponsorship by Luistro.

Only a one-third vote--106 out of 318 House members--is needed to sent the impeachment case to the Senate for a full blown trial.

Colmenares, a veteran of past impeachment prosecutions, framed the eventual plenary vote on whether or not to adopt committee report as a political trap for any legislator inclined to protect the Vice President, who had earlier announced her Palace bid in 2028.

"Dapat ipaliwanag ng bawat kongresista: bakit hindi ka nababahala sa P612 million na hindi maipaliwanag? Ang impeachment ay numbers game, pero politically, ang constituents nila ang magtatanong: bakit hindi mo sinusuportahan ang impeachment kung may ganyang isyu?" he asked.

(Each congressman must explain: why are you not concerned about the P612 million that cannot be accounted for? Impeachment is a numbers game, but politically, their constituents will ask: why are you not supporting impeachment if such an issue exists?)

The lawyer raised the same logic on the statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN) allegations.

The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), in a report submitted to the justice committee, documented P6.7 billion in bank transactions tied to Duterte from 2006 to 2025 — set against SALN net-worth declarations that peaked at P88 million.

Cash and bank-deposit declarations peaked at only P6 million, the ex-lawmaker from the !Makabayan bloc noted.

Colmenares anchored his case in the Constitution's accountability clause, as he dismissed what he characterized as the Vice President's preference to defer the substantive defense to the Senate.

"Nakalagay sa konstitusyon: ang public official, accountable to the people at all times — hindi pwedeng 'Hindi ngayon (It is stated in the Constitution: a public official is accountable to the people at all times — it cannot be ‘Not now’),'" he underscored.

Duterte has not appeared at any of the four committee hearings on the determination of probable cause. Her legal team has said she will respond to the charges only at the Senate impeachment trial — a posture that Luistro said amounts to a concession that the case will reach the upper chamber.

If and when the House plenary impeaches Duterte, she will become the first official in Philippine history to be impeached twice. She was impeached in 2025.

A Senate conviction would disqualify her from public office for life, ending a presidential bid she formally announced Feb. 18.