MANILA, Philippines — In a historic shattering of traditional geopolitical loyalty lines, support for the removal of Vice President Sara Duterte has surged from within her family’s own regional strongholds. Bicol Saro Party-list Representative and designated House prosecutor Terry Ridon confirmed that the overwhelming House vote was a national, cross-regional consensus that completely dispels allegations of a localized “Imperial Manila” plot.
The lower chamber finalized its decision through an overwhelming 257–25–9 plenary vote to formally pass and transmit the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate.
Speaking during the Saturday News Forum at Dapo Restaurant in Quezon City, Representative Ridon provided a detailed statistical breakdown of how Visayan and Mindanaoan lawmakers voted, emphasizing that the political shift transcended traditional bailiwicks:
- The Visayas Bloc: Out of 50 total House representatives representing the Visayas region, 43 lawmakers voted “yes” to impeach the Vice President.
- The Mindanao Bloc: Despite Mindanao serving as the historic, undisputed home base of the Duterte family, 41 out of 61 lawmakers voted in favor of the impeachment articles.
- The Luzon Contribution: Reflecting broad alignment across the northern islands, 125 out of 142 lawmakers from Luzon voted in favor of the measure.
- The Total Mandate: The 257 affirmative votes account for 80 percent of the entire House of Representatives, vastly exceeding the one-third constitutional requirement of 106 votes.
“The vote to impeach the Vice President was overwhelming. And… even within the strongest bailiwicks of the Vice President and the Dutertes in Mindanao, Cebu, and the Visayas, it did not turn out for the Vice President. That Congress really spoke from all sides and shades and persuasions that there is a reason for impeaching the Vice President.” — Rep. Terry Ridon
The extensive House indictment centers on four main categories of constitutional violations and breaches of public trust documented during multi-week committee on justice hearings:
- Confidential Funds Misuse: Alleged anomalies tracking ₱612.5 million in confidential funds allocated to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) under her previous leadership.
- Unexplained Wealth: Apparent contradictions exposed by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), which flagged over 600 transactions totaling ₱6.77 billion tied to bank accounts held by the Vice President and her spouse, Atty. Manases Carpio, which critics notes were wholly unreflected as cash deposits in her Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs).
- Bribery and Corruption: Irregularities involving state transactions and localized funding structures.
- National Security Threats: Highly publicized, explicit verbal threats issued by Duterte targeting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
Duterte has continuously denied all allegations, aggressively dismissing the legislative process as a politically motivated witch hunt engineered to cripple her political standing ahead of future elections.
With the Articles of Impeachment officially transmitted from the lower house, the focus shifts directly to the upper chamber. Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano previously affirmed his commitment to convene the Senate as an official impeachment court on Monday, May 18, 2026.
Ridon confirmed that all 11 members of the newly formed House prosecution panel—which includes legal minds like Batangas Representative Gerville Luistro and former Dinagat Islands Governor Kaka Bag-ao—will arrive at the Senate plenary in full force to manage the opening of the landmark trial.