House leaders on Monday said the filing of two new impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte complies with the recent Supreme Court (SC) ruling that upheld an earlier decision declaring the 2025 impeachment case against her unconstitutional.
House justice panel chairperson Rep. Gerville Luistro of Batangas, along with vice chairpersons Rep. Belle Zamora of San Juan City and Rep. Keith Flores of Bukidnon, and House public accounts committee chairperson Rep. Terry Ridon of the Bicol Saro party-list, explained their position following the filing of two separate impeachment complaints by opposition groups earlier in the day.
In a press conference, Luistro said the Supreme Court’s July 2025 decision clarified that the one-year ban on filing an impeachment complaint against Vice President Duterte began on February 5, 2025.
“However, if you are referring to the [January 28, 2026] resolution recently issued by the Supreme Court, they were saying that the first impeachment complaint filed on December 2, 2024… due to inaction of the House, was deemed initiated when the period of 10 session days lapsed [on January 14, 2025],” Luistro said.
She cited House rules requiring the Secretary General to forward verified impeachment complaints to the Office of the Speaker and for the Speaker to include them in the Order of Business within 10 session days.
“That is why by implication, by January 15, 2026, nag-lapse na ang one-year prohibition period,” she added.
Zamora said a key factor in the ruling was the Supreme Court’s revised interpretation of what constitutes a session day. Under existing House rules, a session day ends only upon adjournment, meaning it can span several calendar days.
“The Supreme Court said that for purposes of impeachment proceedings, a session day is equivalent to a calendar day,” Zamora explained. “As such, the timeline on the reckoning of the one-year bar was adjusted.”
She added that based on the January 28 resolution, counting session days as calendar days places January 15 as the end of the one-year prohibition period, explaining why the complaints were filed now.
The January 28 resolution addressed the motion for reconsideration filed by the House regarding the High Court’s July 2025 decision.
Ridon, however, suggested that the House may opt to wait until February 6 before referring the complaints to the House justice panel to avoid any legal challenge.
“That is the safe period for referral because the referral will be the record for initiation of impeachment proceedings,” Ridon said.
Ridon and Flores also clarified that the complaints do not necessarily have to pass through the House justice committee. If at least one-third of House members endorse an impeachment complaint on February 6, it can proceed directly to a Senate impeachment trial.
“At this point, the House is yet to determine which route it will take,” Flores said.