With a decisive 257-to-25 vote, the House of Representatives on Monday, May 11, 2026, approved the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte for the second time, formally transmitting the case to the Senate where it will be tried before an impeachment court. Nine lawmakers chose to abstain, according to reports from ABS-CBN News.
The overwhelming margin of approval marks a significant development in what has become one of the most consequential constitutional proceedings in recent Philippine political history. The case now moves to the upper chamber, where a conviction would require the affirmative votes of at least 16 of the Senate's 24 members — a two-thirds majority as mandated under the 1987 Philippine Constitution.
A Minority of 25 Legislators Stood Against the Complaint
While the majority of the lower chamber backed the impeachment, 25 district and party-list representatives cast dissenting votes during the May 11 plenary session. According to a list published by Politiko, the lawmakers who voted "No" are as follows:
- Bohol Rep. Maria Vanessa "Vanvan" Aumentado
- General Santos City Rep. Shirlyn Bañas-Nograles
- Cavite Rep. Francisco "Kiko" Barzaga
- Agusan del Norte Rep. Dale Corvera
- Davao Oriental Rep. Nelson "JR" Dayanghirang
- Cebu Rep. Rachel Marguerite Del Mar
- PPP Party-list Rep. Harold Duterte
- Davao City Rep. Omar Duterte
- Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte
- Cebu Rep. Karen Hope Garcia
- Laguna Rep. Ramil Hernandez
- Batangas Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste
- South Cotabato Rep. Isidro Lumayag
- SSS-GSIS Party-list Rep. Rolando Macasaet
- SAGIP Party-list Rep. Paolo Marcoleta
- Southern Leyte Rep. Roger Mercado
- BH Party-list Rep. Robert Nazal
- Bukidnon Rep. Laarni Roque
- Cebu Rep. Sun Shimura
- Ako Ilocano Ako Party-list Rep. Richelle Singson
- Quezon City Rep. Jesus "Bong" Suntay
- Bohol Rep. Kristine Alexie Tutor
- Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab
- Malasakit at Bayanihan Foundation Party-list Rep. Girlie Veloso
- Nueva Ecija Rep. Julius Cesar Vergara
Duterte Family Representatives and Regional Allies Among Dissenters
A notable pattern emerged within the dissenting bloc: several of the 25 lawmakers either carry the Duterte surname or represent constituencies closely tied to the political base of the Duterte family. Three representatives from Davao City — Omar Duterte, Paolo Duterte, and Isidro Ungab — voted against the impeachment complaint. In addition, PPP Party-list Rep. Harold Duterte joined his relatives in opposing the measure.
Davao City and the broader Davao region have long been regarded as the political heartland of the Duterte family, with former President Rodrigo Duterte having served as mayor of the city for multiple terms before ascending to the presidency in 2016.
Geographic and Political Spread of the Dissenting Bloc
Beyond the Davao-based lawmakers, the 25 dissenters represented a geographically diverse set of constituencies. District representatives came from Bohol, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Cebu, Bukidnon, South Cotabato, Southern Leyte, Agusan del Norte, Davao Oriental, General Santos City, Quezon City, and Nueva Ecija.
The bloc also included party-list representatives from PPP, SSS-GSIS, SAGIP, BH, Ako Ilocano Ako, and Malasakit at Bayanihan Foundation. The nine lawmakers who abstained were not identified by name in available reports at the time of publication.
This Is the Second Time the House Has Acted on the Complaint
Monday's vote is the second instance in which the House of Representatives has approved an impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte. Under the Philippine Constitution, the House holds the exclusive authority to initiate impeachment proceedings against impeachable officials, while the Senate functions as the sole trial court for such cases.
For a conviction to occur in the Senate, 16 out of 24 sitting senators must vote in favor — the two-thirds threshold required by the Constitution. As of Tuesday, May 12, 2026, no official timetable for the start of Senate impeachment proceedings had been publicly announced, based on reports from ABS-CBN News and Reuters.
Who Is Sara Duterte?
Sara Duterte is the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte and previously served as Mayor of Davao City before winning the vice presidency in the 2022 national elections. She ran alongside President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. under a high-profile political alliance, though that partnership between the Marcos and Duterte political families publicly unraveled in the period leading up to the current impeachment proceedings.
Duterte has denied the allegations contained in the impeachment complaint, according to Reuters. The specific articles of impeachment and the charges enumerated therein were not detailed in the source materials available at the time this report was written.
What a Senate Conviction Would Mean
The stakes of the Senate trial are substantial. Should the Senate vote to convict Vice President Duterte, she would be immediately removed from office. Beyond removal, the Senate may additionally impose perpetual disqualification from holding any public office in the Philippines — a penalty that would permanently end her political career, barring a successful legal challenge before the Supreme Court.
The Philippines has navigated high-profile impeachment trials before. The most prominent recent precedent was the 2012 trial of then-Chief Justice Renato Corona, who was ultimately convicted and removed from office following a lengthy Senate proceeding that gripped national attention.
Trial Procedures and Expected Timeline
With the House vote concluded, the impeachment articles will be formally transmitted to the Senate, which will then constitute itself as an impeachment court. Under the 1987 Constitution, the Senate President presides over such proceedings.
Both sides — the prosecution panel composed of House members who supported impeachment, and the defense team representing the Vice President — will be given the opportunity to present arguments, witnesses, and evidence. The duration of the trial is not fixed under existing Senate rules and may stretch across several weeks or even months, depending on the complexity of the case and the number of witnesses to be called.
As the case transitions to the Senate, all eyes will be on whether the upper chamber can muster the 16-vote threshold needed for conviction — a question that remains open as the country enters the next phase of this landmark constitutional process.
Sources: ABS-CBN News, Reuters, Politiko