House gets one week to review VP impeachment articles

MANILA, Philippines — House members have been given a one-week window to study the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte, a lawmaker said.

Regardless of political affiliations, Rep. Gerville Luistro said that all 318 members of the House of Representatives are given until Sunday to study and assess the justice committee-approved Articles of Impeachment ahead of the plenary vote on May 11.

Luistro believes the period should be sufficient for both administration and opposition lawmakers, as well as independents, to determine whether Duterte betrayed public trust.

“From my perspective as the justice chair, given the five-day period that we gave the House members to study, I think by May 11, the plenary should be ready to vote,” she said. “I think five days is a reasonable period for the House members to be able to read and study.”

In a dzMM interview on Monday, Luistro explained that the timeline is not only a matter of fairness but also a requirement under a Supreme Court ruling on the first impeachment bid issued in July 2025.

“Before the plenary vote, the House members should be provided with a copy of the committee report, the resolution and the Articles of Impeachment, most especially the Articles of Impeachment and the attached evidence,” she said.

“They (House members) should be given reasonable time to read and study the same before the plenary vote. That’s part of due process that should first be studied,” the lawyer-legislator added. — Evelyn Macairan