The House of Representatives, sitting in plenary, overwhelmingly upheld the dismissal of two impeachment complaints against President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. after lawmakers found them insufficient in substance.
With a vote of 284 in favor, eight against, and four abstentions, the chamber adopted House Resolution 746, affirming the findings and recommendations contained in Committee Report 111 of the House Committee on Justice, chaired by Batangas Rep. Gerville “Jinky” Luistro.
Deputy Speaker Janette Garin, who presided over the session, formally declared the dismissal following the vote count.
During her sponsorship speech, Luistro said both complaints failed to meet constitutional standards, noting that impeachment complaints must present “ultimate facts” linking the respondent to an impeachable offense.
She said the complaints did not establish bad faith, malice, or culpable violation of the Constitution, describing them instead as policy disagreements and generalized accusations.
The complaints were separately filed by lawyer Andre De Jesus and a group led by former lawmaker Liza Maza, alleging culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and betrayal of public trust.
At the committee level, the De Jesus complaint was declared insufficient in substance by a 42-1 vote with three abstentions. Meanwhile, the complaint filed by the Maza group failed to secure majority support after a motion to declare it sufficient in substance garnered only seven votes in favor against 39 opposed.
Leaders of major political parties, including Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, Lakas-CMD, Nationalist People’s Coalition, National Unity Party, and the Party-list Coalition Foundation, manifested support for the dismissal.
Quezon Rep. Mark Enverga said the decision allows the government to focus on addressing the needs of Filipinos while reinforcing stability and the rule of law.
Luistro emphasized that complaints found insufficient in substance must be dismissed to protect the integrity of the impeachment process, warning against turning it into a tool for political harassment.
The House action followed earlier committee findings that the complaints, while sufficient in form, lacked substantive basis under constitutional standards.
The plenary vote effectively ends the impeachment attempts, barring the filing of new complaints within the one-year constitutional prohibition period. (Philippine News Agency)
