Benitez says 200 lawmakers back Sara impeachment

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — Bacolod Rep. and Deputy House Speaker Alfredo “Albee” Benitez said Saturday that the House Committee on Justice found probable cause to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte.

Benitez, in a media interview during the opening of Cong. Albee Sportsfest 2026 at the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos here, said that, based on their count, more than 200 lawmakers have signified support for the vice president’s impeachment.

These include members of the Visayan Bloc and lawmakers from the Negros Island Region, he added.

Benitez said he had talked to some members of the Visayan Bloc about the matter, and he expressed optimism that the impeachment would push through.

He said the majority of members of political parties had voted yes — an indication, he said, that the members believe there is probable cause for impeachment.

However, he said the final vote will be revealed Monday, May 11.

“We will only know by the time of the official voting,” the lawmaker added.

Benitez also denied reports of vote-buying related to the matter.

“I did not heard, not talked, not seen anything about it,” he said.

He said the question was really more about the weight of evidence to determine whether there is probable cause.

Benitez noted that the threshold for the House is only to decide whether there is probable cause, not to assess whether Duterte is guilty.

The House Committee on Justice unanimously found probable cause on April 29 to impeach Duterte, sending two impeachment complaints to the full House for deliberation and voting.

Under the impeachment process, the case will proceed to a Senate trial if at least one-third of House members support it.

The impeachment complaints against Duterte accuse her of betrayal of public trust and possible constitutional violations, citing, among others, alleged irregularities in the use of confidential and intelligence funds under the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education when she served as its secretary.

The complaints also include allegations of unexplained wealth and threatening remarks against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and other officials, which Duterte has denied, calling the impeachment proceedings politically motivated.

Meanwhile, more than 1,700 teams and more than 22,000 athletes from all 61 barangays represented their communities in this year’s sportsfest.

Ray Parks Jr. graced the opening ceremony as a special guest.

Benitez acknowledged the enthusiasm and energy of the athletes and wished them good luck.

“May this Sportsfest strengthen camaraderie, teamwork, discipline, and unity,” he said.