FULL FORCE: House impeaches Sara Duterte, Western Visayas votes solid yes

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Lawmakers from Western Visayas delivered a unanimous vote for the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, with Antique Lone District Rep. Antonio Agapito “AA” Legarda Jr. this time also supporting the complaint.

The votes from Region 6 formed part of a sweeping 257-strong majority in the House of Representatives that advanced the impeachment case to the Senate for trial for the second time.

The tally included 25 opposing votes and nine abstentions.

The 257 affirmative votes in 2026 surpassed the 215 votes recorded during Duterte’s first impeachment in 2025, when Legarda was the lone Western Visayas lawmaker who voted against the complaint.

The significantly higher number of lawmakers backing the impeachment came as a surprise, according to House Senior Deputy Majority Leader and Iloilo 3rd District Rep. Lorenz Defensor.

Defensor said many lawmakers were convinced to support the complaint after Duterte failed to face the House committee on justice and answer the accusations against her.

“I did not expect, and I never felt, that that is how big the numbers would be. It only shows that the weight of the evidence and the non-appearance and non-answer of the vice president had a big impact on how lawmakers voted for her impeachment,” he said in an interview with a local radio station on Tuesday morning, May 12.

He expressed hope that the impeachment proceedings would clarify all allegations against Duterte and eventually allow government officials to refocus on other national concerns.

“The Filipinos are waiting for justice from the impeachment. The Filipinos want to see that if Duterte gets acquitted, that is okay because that is the decision of the Senate as an impeachment court. If she gets convicted, that also means the evidence against the vice president has weight,” he said.

“I accept whatever the decision will be, whether acquittal or conviction, but the process under our Constitution should be protected because it is the only mechanism that can remove a bad leader in the future, where we cannot easily seek accountability,” he added.

With the Senate, acting as the impeachment court, set to receive the articles, Defensor said the trial would carry political consequences for the 2028 elections.

“I am not preempting them, but we have to understand that if the trial proceeds in the Senate, the senators who will seek reelection in the 2028 elections will lose their votes from pro-Dutertes in Mindanao and Eastern Visayas,” he said.

Senators who vote to acquit the vice president could also lose support from the majority of Filipinos who back the impeachment, according to surveys, he said.

Defensor maintained that due process under the Constitution should prevail regardless of the outcome, even though members of the Senate majority are the same senators who previously voted to archive the impeachment complaints last year.

“They should act on it, but it should not be rushed, according to the Supreme Court (SC). But I am sure there are Filipinos and concerned groups that may raise another petition before the SC asking that the impeachment trial should proceed immediately once the articles of impeachment are transmitted to the Senate,” he said.

During its en banc session on April 29, 2026, the SC unanimously dismissed a mandamus petition, clarifying that “forthwith” grants the Senate discretion over impeachment trial timing, subject to a reasonable time and no undue delay.

The Ilonggo lawmaker added that he would welcome an appointment as one of the House prosecutors in the impeachment trial, saying it would be part of his constitutional duty.

House Committee on Justice Chairperson Gerville Luistro said she would want Defensor as one of the members of the House prosecution panel.

Defensor was among the appointed House prosecutors during the first impeachment proceedings against Duterte.

In an interview with Daily Guardian, Uswag Ilonggo Party-list Rep. James “Jojo” Ang said he also voted to impeach the vice president, noting consistency with his earlier position during the first impeachment proceedings.

Ang declined further comment and requested not to be quoted.