MANILA, Philippines — The first impeachment complaint against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has been transmitted to the Office of the Speaker, House of Representatives Secretary General Cheloy Garafil said.
In a statement on Wednesday, Garafil said the impeachment complaint filed by lawyer Andre de Jesus last Monday has been forwarded to the office of Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III, in observance of the provisions under the 1987 Constitution.
“Pursuant to established procedure, the Office of the Secretary General has transmitted the verified impeachment complaint to the Office of Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ G. Dy III for appropriate action,” Garafil said on Wednesday.
Under the House Rules of the 19th Congress, which the 20th Congress adopted, any impeachment complaint should be filed before the Office of the Secretary General, which should be immediately referred to the speaker of the House.
After this, the speaker “shall have it included in the Order of Business within ten (10) session days from receipt.”
Afterwards, the Committee on Rules should refer it to the Committee on Justice within three (3) session days.
According to Garafil, the role of the secretary general is to ensure that the document is “properly entered, recorded and forwarded to the proper office” as this initial step is “meant to preserve order and due process.”
De Jesus submitted the first-ever impeachment complaint against Marcos last Monday, which was eventually endorsed by Pusong Pinoy party-list Rep. Jernie Jett Nisay.
In his 14-page complaint, de Jesus mentioned six grounds for his complaint, which he said merits culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and betrayal of public trust:
- Allegedly ordering and enabling the kidnapping and surrender of former President Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court
- Allegedly being a drug addict which impairs his judgment and leadership
- Alleged failure to veto unprogrammed appropriations and other unconstitutional provisions of the General Appropriations Bill for 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026
- Allegedly benefitting from kickbacks arising from budget insertions and ghost flood control projects
- Allegedly creating the Independent Commission for Infrastructure to shield corrupt allies
- Allegedly violating the Constitution and betraying public trust for surrendering Duterte to the ICC
De Jesus’ impeachment complaint is the first against Marcos, but this is not the only impeachment complaint tackled by the House under the current administration.
In late 2024, several groups filed impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte over corruption allegations involving the supposed misuse of confidential funds lodged within her offices from 2022 to 2024.
Then on February 5, 2025, 215 members of the House of the 19th Congress signed a fourth impeachment complaint.
Since 215 members are over one-third of the over 300 House lawmakers, the Articles of Impeachment were immediately transmitted to the Senate on the same day.
Under the 1987 Constitution, a trial must begin forthwith if at least one-third of all House members endorse the complaint.
However, trial did not push through after the Senate remanded the articles to the House for alleged constitutional infirmities.
Eventually, the Supreme Court (SC) deemed the impeachment as unconstitutional for violating the one-year bar rule, as there were three impeachment complaints filed before the fast-track method was initiated. /apl
