Learn — How impeachment works

Impeachment is a constitutional political process, not a criminal trial. It is the mechanism the Constitution provides for removing certain top officials from office — the President, Vice President, members of the Supreme Court, members of the Constitutional Commissions, and the Ombudsman.

The Constitution lists the grounds: culpable violation of the Constitution, treason, bribery, graft and corruption, other high crimes, and betrayal of public trust. A conviction removes the official from office and may disqualify them from holding public office again; it does not by itself impose criminal punishment. Any separate criminal liability is left to the ordinary courts.

Two chambers share the work. The House of Representatives has the sole power to initiate a case and acts as the prosecution. The Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, has the sole power to try and decide it.

The Senate sits as an impeachment court. The House of Representatives acts as the prosecutor, filing Articles of Impeachment (the formal accusations) and presenting evidence. The respondent (the official being impeached, here VP Sara Duterte) has a defense panel. The 24 senators serve as judges who deliberate and vote on each article.

A special constitutional rule requires the Chief Justice to preside — without a vote — only when the President is tried. Because this case concerns the Vice President, that rule does not apply: the impeachment court elected one of its own members to preside. It elected Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero as presiding officer on July 6, 2026. He remains a voting senator-judge.

The process follows these general stages:

1. Filing: A verified complaint is filed in the House. It may follow the committee process, while a complaint filed by at least one-third of all House members constitutes the Articles of Impeachment under the Constitution.
2. House investigation: Under the committee route, the Committee on Justice investigates, holds hearings, and reports its recommendation to the full House.
3. House vote: A vote of at least one-third of all House members can send the articles to the Senate. As of July 19, 2026, the House roster lists 317 sitting members across 318 seats, so the one-third threshold is 106. In this case, the House reported a 257–25–9 vote on May 11, 2026 (announced from the floor as 255–26–9, then corrected to 257–25–9 in the House Journal).
4. Trial in the Senate: The Senate acts as the impeachment court. Both sides present evidence and witnesses. Senators question witnesses and the parties.
5. Deliberation and voting: Senators deliberate, then vote publicly on each article. A two-thirds vote is required to convict (see below).
6. Judgment: A conviction can result in removal and disqualification from holding public office; the Constitution leaves any separate criminal liability to ordinary legal proceedings. An acquittal on the articles ends the impeachment case.

Sources: the official Senate rules and constitutional text, the Senate’s current-trial update, and the House’s current membership count. This neutral overview is not legal advice and does not predict any outcome.

Two numeric thresholds decide an impeachment, one in each chamber:

• To send the case to trial — one-third of the House. At least one-third of all members of the House of Representatives must support the Articles of Impeachment. On the current roster of 317 members, that threshold is 106.
• To convict and remove — two-thirds of the Senate. Conviction on an article requires the concurrence of two-thirds of all 24 senators — that is, at least 16 votes. Each article is voted on separately, and a conviction on any single article is enough to remove the official.

If the Senate reaches 16 votes to convict on an article, the respondent is removed from office, and the court may also impose disqualification from holding any office under the Republic. If the two-thirds threshold is not met on any article, the respondent is acquitted and the case ends. Conviction in an impeachment does not itself carry criminal penalties — those are pursued, if at all, in the ordinary courts.

Because the Chief Justice’s special no-vote role applies only to a Presidential trial, the elected presiding officer in this Vice-Presidential trial remains one of the 24 voting senator-judges. The two-thirds conviction threshold stays at 16 of 24.

Impeachment has rarely reached a Senate verdict in the Philippines. A brief record of the cases that have gone furthest:

President Joseph Estrada (2000–2001)

The first Philippine president to be impeached and tried. The Senate trial opened in December 2000 but collapsed in January 2001 after senator-judges voted 11–10 not to open an envelope of contested bank evidence, prompting the prosecution to walk out. The trial ended without a verdict; Estrada left office days later amid mass protests.

Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez (2011)

Impeached by the House in March 2011, she resigned before the Senate trial began, so no verdict was rendered.

Chief Justice Renato Corona (2011–2012)

The only Philippine official removed through a completed impeachment trial. On May 29, 2012 the Senate voted 20–3 to convict him on an article concerning the disclosure of his statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth. He was removed and perpetually disqualified from public office.

VP Sara Duterte — first impeachment (2025, voided)

A complaint against the Vice President was endorsed by more than one-third of the House on February 5, 2025. In Duterte v. House of Representatives (G.R. No. 278353), the Supreme Court held that filing was barred by the Constitution’s one-year rule and violated due process, and it declared the articles unconstitutional; the ruling was affirmed with finality in January 2026. No Senate trial took place on that complaint.

VP Sara Duterte — second impeachment (2026)

After the one-year bar lapsed, a fresh complaint led to the current trial, which opened on July 6, 2026. This is the case documented throughout this site.

These are matters of public record; dates and figures follow the official Senate, House, and Supreme Court records and major news reporting. This overview does not predict any outcome in the current trial.

General terms used when discussing impeachment. For terms specific to how this site organizes the record, see the About page.

Article of Impeachment

A formal accusation or charge against the respondent. The House files one or more articles, each covering different alleged grounds (e.g., betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption).

Impeachment court

The Senate of the Philippines sitting as a court to try an impeachment. The 24 senators act as judges. The Chief Justice presides only when the President is tried; this Vice-Presidential trial elected a senator as its presiding officer.

Presiding Officer

The person who chairs the impeachment court and handles procedural questions subject to the court’s rules. The Constitution requires the Chief Justice to preside, without a vote, only when the President is tried. In this Vice-Presidential trial, the court elected Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero. He remains a senator-judge; the Chief Justice’s special no-vote clause does not apply. The constitutional conviction threshold remains 16 of 24 senators.

Senator-Judge

A member of the Senate sitting as a judge in the impeachment trial. Senator-Judges question witnesses, deliberate on the articles, and vote on conviction or acquittal.

House Prosecutors

Members of the House of Representatives who prosecute the case before the Senate. They present evidence, examine witnesses, and argue that the articles are proven. Also referred to as the prosecution.

Defense

The legal team representing the respondent (VP Sara Duterte), presenting evidence and arguments in her favor.

Respondent

The official being impeached (here, VP Sara Duterte). The respondent is represented by defense counsel and may also make statements or filings in their own name.

Witness

A person who testifies under oath or submits evidence in the proceeding. Witnesses may be called by either side or by the court itself.

Session

A day of the impeachment trial where the court hears evidence, testimony, arguments, or rulings. Sessions are video-recorded by the Senate.

One-year bar

A constitutional limit: no impeachment proceedings may be initiated against the same official more than once within a one-year period. This rule was central to the Supreme Court’s voiding of the 2025 complaint against the Vice President.