The Philippine House justice committee has rejected two impeachment complaints against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, saying the accusations lacked factual and legal basis, a move that sharply reduces the chances of removal proceedings advancing in Congress.
The decision, announced Wednesday after three days of deliberations, underscores the strength of Marcos’ allies in the lower chamber and signals that the complaints are unlikely to survive a full House vote.
According to Reuters, the impeachment complaints were filed separately by a private lawyer and a group of activists, accusing Marcos of corruption, constitutional violations, and betrayal of public trust. The justice committee voted overwhelmingly to dismiss both cases, concluding that the allegations did not meet the standards required under Philippine law.
Marcos, who is midway through his six year term, has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
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Gerville Luistro, chair of the House justice committee, said lawmakers would complete a formal report and submit it to the full House early next week.
“We intend to transmit right away to the plenary, but it depends on the plenary as to when the same will be tackled on the floor,” Luistro told reporters, explaining that the chamber will decide whether to adopt or overturn the committee’s findings.
For impeachment proceedings to move forward, at least one third of the House of Representatives must support the complaints. The chamber is currently dominated by lawmakers aligned with Marcos, making that threshold difficult to reach.
If the House were to approve impeachment, the Senate would be required to convene as an impeachment court, with its 24 members serving as jurors. A conviction would require a two thirds vote.
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Only one Philippine official has ever been convicted through impeachment. Former chief justice Renato Corona was removed from office in 2012. Former president Joseph Estrada was impeached in 2000, but his trial collapsed the following year amid mass protests and a walkout by prosecutors.
One of the complaints cited Marcos’ decision to allow the arrest and transfer of former president Rodrigo Duterte to The Hague, where he faces trial at the International Criminal Court over thousands of deaths linked to his anti drug campaign.
The Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2019 under Duterte, but the court has maintained jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed while the country was still a member. Marcos’ administration has said it cooperated based on international obligations and legal processes.
Other accusations focused on the use of public funds for flood control projects that later became the subject of a corruption scandal. The complaints also claimed that allegations of drug use made Marcos unfit for office, an accusation he has publicly denied.
Marcos, 68, won the presidency in 2022 by a wide margin, campaigning on promises of economic recovery and political stability. His administration has since maintained strong support in the House, while facing more scrutiny in the Senate and from civil society groups.
