Vice President Sara Duterte--an aspiring President in 2028--now has the unsavory tag of being the first Philippine official to get impeached by the House of Representatives not once, but twice.

It happened in successive years--2025 and 2026--with the number of impeachment backers this year outpacing those from last year.

With 257 affirmative votes, House members adopted the four articles of impeachment prepared by the Committee on Justice against Vice President Duterte.

This effectively impeached her for the second time in two years, and set the stage for her potential "forthwith" Senate impeachment trial--something that didn't happen during last year's proceedings.

The nominal voting result showed 25 negative votes and nine abstentions.

Last year's set of seven articles of impeachment against Duterte was directly sent to the Senate on the strength of 215 signatures from congressmen. Unlike this year, these articles didn't go through the committee track, but the equally constitutional "fast track" mode in plenary.

A relatively low hurdle--a one-third vote from the 318-strong House (106)--is needed to impeach an impeachable officer, in this case the Vice President.

Senior Deputy Majority Leader Iloilo 3rd district Lorenz Defensor was the one who moved for nominal voting to start on the adoption of Committee Report (CR) No. 261, which contained the articles of impeachment.

Committee on Justice Chairperson, Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro sponsored the measure on the floor beforehand. This launched the period of debates, which was availed of by just four anti-administration solons--SAGIP Party-list Rep. Paolo Marcoleta, Bagong Henerasyon (BH) Party-list Rep. Roberto Nazal Jr., Davao City 3rd Rep. Isidro Ungab, and Batangas 1st district Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste.

Nominal voting commenced at 4.35 p.m., ending roughly 30 minutes of plenary debates.

Senior Deputy Speaker South Cotabato 2nd district Rep. Ferdinand Hernandez, the presiding officer at that time, announced the final result of 257-25-9 (yes-no-abstain) minutes later.

In a rather unique occurrence that underscored the politically-charged nature of the matter, Hernandez sought restraint from his solon-colleagues before making his announcement.

"Sa pag-anunsiyo ng resulta ng desisyon ng miyembro ng House of Representatives, mahigpit pong ipinagbabawal ang anumang pagpapakita ng pagsasang-ayon o pagtutol tulad ng pagpalakpak, pagsigaw, pag-boo, pagpapakita ng mgq placard o anumang kahalintulad na kilos sa loob ng bulwagan at ng galleria," he said.

(During the announcement of the decision results by the members of the House of Representatives, any display of agreement or disagreement such as clapping, shouting, booing, showing placards, or any similar actions inside the hall and gallery is strictly prohibited.)

"Hinihilng po natin ang pakikiisa ng lahat upang mapanatili ang dignidad at wastong decorum sa kapulungan at sa lahat ng oras," added the Mindanao lawmaker.

(We are requesting everyone’s cooperation to maintain the dignity and proper decorum in the chamber at all times.)

The House vote on CR No. 261 unfolded even as an upheaval in the Senate led to erstwhile Senate President Vincente "Tito" Sotto III get replaced by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano. Cayetano--as well as those who voted for him--are perceived as the Vice President's allies.

Despite the possibility that Duterte’s Senate impeachment trial now lies in the balance because of the upper chamber coup d'etat--the House members still pushed for the lady official's impeachment.

In her sponsorship speech, Luistro said that even a popular political figure like Duterte shouldn't be beyond accountability under the Constitution.

“At maging malinaw po tayo: ang prosesong ito ay hindi paghamak sa mga Pilipinong sumusuporta sa Bise Presidente. Sa isang demokrasya, ang suporta ng mamamayan ay dapat igalang,” Luistro declared.

(Let us also be clear: this process is not an insult to the Filipinos who support the Vice President. In a democracy, the support of the people must be respected.)

“Ngunit kahit gaano kataas ang posisyon, at kahit gaano kalakas ang suporta, walang sinuman ang lampas sa pananagutan sa ilalim ng Konstitusyon. Hindi ito usapin ng apelyido, partido, o rehiyon,” she noted.

(But no matter how high the position, and no matter how strong the support, no one is beyond accountability under the Constitution. This is not a matter of surname, party, or region.)

The justice panel earlier found probable cause to proceed with Duterte’s impeachment after reviewing records, certifications, financial documents, testimonies and other materials submitted during the proceedings.

Vice President Duterte's impeachment is being sought over her offices' alleged misuse of P612.5 million worth of confidential funds; untruthful declarations in the filing of her statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth; unexplained wealth; and death threats to President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez.