Progressive organizations welcomed Congress’ impeachment of Sara Duterte on February 5.

“Through the push and collective action, assertion, and vigilance of the people, we have achieved the initial step in holding (those involved in) corruption accountable,” stated Bayan Muna, which also launched a protest action earlier before the Lower House. They demanded the Marcos regime address the worsening corruption of his regime, alongside the call to convict Duterte guilty.

Karapatan called the passing of the resolution for impeachment a “victory” for the people fighting to hold the Dutertes and their group of human rights violators accountable.

Bayan member organizations and other organizations in Southern Tagalog launched a similar protest in Cabuyao, Laguna.

“The impeachment of Sara Duterte marks a significant escalation of the conflicts between the Marcos and Duterte cliques,” Communist Party of the Philippines chief information officer Marco Valbuena said. “It further exposes the deep divisions within ruling reactionary classes, where rival factions and cliques jostle against each other over spoils of bureaucrat capitalist privilege and power.”

“The people must further intensify and expand their mass actions to compel the Senate to convene promptly as the impeachment court and see the trial of Sara Duterte commence at once,” he said.

In addition, the impeachment will strengthen the courage and determination of the people to hold Marcos himself accountable for bigger crimes of corruption in the form of his own confidential funds, pork barrel disguised as aid, seizing of funds for the Maharlika Fund and seizing of “unspent” Philhealth funds. Marcos should also be held accountable for his dismissal of cases of his family’s stolen wealth amounting to no less than ₱202 billion.

No less than 215 congressmen signed today, February 5, to impeach Vice Pres. Sara Duterte, after more than a month of obstruction. The president’s son Ferdinand Marcos, Sandro Marcos, led the endorsement of the fourth complaint.

The fourth impeachment complaint has seven articles. Foremost among these is the “conspiracy to kill Marcos, his wife Liza Araneta and House Speaker Martin Romualdez.” Duterte made the threat on November 23, 2024 amid hearings on her anomalous spending of confidential funds allocated to her office.

The other grounds are: corruption of ₱615.5 million in confidential funds; bribery and corruption in the Department of Education; unexplained wealth and failure to disclose her assets in the Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth; involvement in extrajudicial killings in Davao City, destabilization maneuvers, including her boycott of the State of the Nation Address and obstruction of congressional hearings; and “general conduct” as vice president and second highest official of the country.

The voting was conducted on Congress’ last regular session. The Marcos regime deliberately obstructed the processing of the complaint despite the previous filing of three earlier complaints. The second complaint was filed by progressive organizations and individuals and endorsed by the Makabayan Coalition.

Having obtained signatures beyond one-third, as required by law, it was sent directly to the Senate. The Senate will act as the impeachment court, and it will be presided over by the chief justice of the Supreme Court. Duterte will be removed from office if 16 (2/3) of the senators acting as judges in the trial vote that she is guilty as charged.