Philippine lawmakers on Tuesday resumed deliberations on whether to advance impeachment complaints against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., a rare and high-stakes move that could test the political dominance of the country’s ruling coalition.
The House of Representatives’ justice committee reconvened to decide whether two impeachment complaints filed against Marcos contain sufficient substance to proceed, after lawmakers ruled a day earlier that both petitions met procedural requirements.
Marcos, who is midway through his six-year term and denies all allegations, faces accusations ranging from betrayal of public trust and corruption to constitutional violations. If the complaints move forward, the full House—where Marcos’ allies hold a majority—would vote on whether to impeach him.
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A successful vote would make Marcos only the second Philippine president to face impeachment proceedings, following Joseph Estrada in 2001. Estrada’s Senate trial collapsed after prosecutors walked out, leading to his eventual removal from office through mass protests.
The impeachment petitions were filed separately by a lawyer and a group of activists. Among the allegations is Marcos’ decision to allow former president Rodrigo Duterte to be arrested and transferred to The Hague, where Duterte faces trial at the International Criminal Court over thousands of deaths linked to his “war on drugs.”
The complaints also accuse Marcos of abuse of authority related to the spending of public funds, citing a corruption scandal involving flood-control projects. One petition further alleges that Marcos’ supposed drug use—an accusation he has denied—renders him unfit for office.
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Marcos’ office has rejected the claims and said the president respects the legal process.
“Even before, the president already said he did not do anything wrong, did not violate the law and did not commit an impeachable offence,” presidential press officer Claire Castro told reporters on Monday.
Justice committee chair Gerville Luistro said lawmakers must determine whether the alleged misconduct rises to the level required under the constitution. “It’s not enough that an impeachable official committed wrongdoing,” Luistro told broadcaster Teleradyo. “That wrongdoing must constitute an impeachable offence.”
If the House votes to impeach, the case would move to the Senate, where all 24 senators would sit as jurors in an impeachment trial.
