Disagreeing with a fellow ranking congressman, Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido "Benny" Abante Jr. says there are actually "more than enough” votes in the House of Representatives to send Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment case to the Senate.

“More than enough, yes,” Abante said during the media Ffrum at Dapo Restaurant in Quezon City on Saturday, Feb. 21 when asked whether or not the House has the numbers.

In this particular case, one-third of the 316-strong House needs to either vote to adopt a Committee on Justice recommendation to pursue an impeachment trial at the Senate, or endorse the direct transmittal of the articles of impeachment to the Senate sans the conduct of committee hearings.

Earlier, House Senior Deputy Majority Leader Iloilo 3rd district Rep. Lorenz Defensor said he doesn't see either scenario happening, and that the impeachment complaints against Duterte may not prosper beyond the justice panel level.

Defensor cited as reasons the House members' disappointment from the failed impeachment case against Duterte last year, and her ratings surge this year. He also acknowledged her declaration of her presidential bid in the 2028 elections.

Abante, lead chairman of the House quad-committee (quad-comm) 2.0, laid out the expected route of the impeachment complaints filed against the Vice President in the lower chamber this year.

He says it will begin with the referral of the four existing complaints to the justice committee, which will set the pace for deliberations. Ultimately, their will be a plenary vote that will determine whether or not the Senate convenes as an impeachment court to try Duterte.

“The Committee on Rules will give it to the Committee on Justice. The Committee on Justice would deliberate on that, maybe for two or three days. And after that, it will be put into the vote in the plenary. Ang kailangan lang naman one-third eh (We only need one-third),” Abante, who endorsed one of the complaints, said.

The magic number is 105. Abante argued the math is straightforward and within reach.

He pointed to the support for the 2025 case against Duterte, when the latter was actually impeached by the House based on the constitutional threshold. He said the House does not need an overwhelming number to move the case forward to the Senate.

“So, iniisip ko, in the first impeachment complaint, more than 200 (215) congressmen signed the 1st impeachment complaint. So, I don’t think mahihirapan ito na maka abot...So, palagay ko we are in a proper position at this point in time (So, I don’t think it will be difficult for this one to reach the required number...So, I believe we are in a proper position at this point in time),” Abante said.

“It might not be the same number. Iniisip ko na hindi magiging pareho ang numero pero (I think it won't be the same number but) it only takes about one-third of the members of the House to let it pass. So, palagay ko makukuha namin iyon (So ,I think we will get that number),” he noted.

Abante also said that after the chamber votes, the next step would be immediate transmission to the Senate under the expected "committee track" for the impeachment complaints against the Vice President.

“Ipapasa na iyon, directly sa Senado after the vote in the plenary. Iyon na talaga ang maaaring mangyari,” he said.

(That will be transmitted directly to the Senate after the vote in the plenary. That is really what could happen.)

Last Feb. 18, Defensor said in a chance interview: "As of right now, as of today, I cannot see getting one-third of endorsements from the members of the House of Representatives. But I can tell you right now that aabot ito sa Committee on Justice (this will make it to the Committee on Justice)."

"And we also have to take into consideration na malapit na ang 2028 (that 2028 is drawing near)...So unless there is a strong contender against the Vice President who will say that the impeachment is worth pursuing, I do not see it yet as going beyond the Committee on Justice for deliberation and determination of sufficiency and form and substance," he added.