Deputy House Speaker and Bacolod Rep. Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez said in all likelihood the House of Representatives will vote to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday, May 11.
If the House approves the motion, it will pave the way for the transmittal of the four Articles of Impeachment to the Senate, which will then convene as an impeachment court to determine her guilt or innocence.
“A lot of congressmen have signified that they will vote for the impeachment, so in all likelihood, she will be impeached,” Benitez said in an interview at the opening of the Cong. Albee Sportsfest 2026 in Bacolod on Saturday, May 9.
Benitez clarified that the Lower House would vote based on whether there is probable cause against the Vice President, but the final verdict rests with the Senate.
“From what we have seen during the Committee on Justice hearings, there is a lot of evidence for probable cause,” he said.
Benitez expressed confidence that a majority of the Visayan Bloc and potentially 100 percent of the Negros Island Region (NIR) representatives will vote in favor of impeachment.
“While more than 200 members of the House have signified their intent to vote yes,” Benitez said, “we will not know for certain until Monday when the voting takes place.”
He said some political parties held internal straw polls where the majority voted in favor of impeachment—a strong indication that lawmakers believe there is sufficient probable cause.
There will be nominal voting on Monday, he said, meaning each House member will be called individually to publicly cast their vote.
Under the Constitution, a vote from at least one-third of all House members—equivalent to 106 votes in the 318-member chamber—is sufficient to approve the Articles of Impeachment and transmit them to the Senate for trial.
The proceedings against the Vice President are based on four primary allegations:
• Article I: Alleged misuse and irregular disbursement of confidential funds under both the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd).
• Article II: Allegations of unexplained wealth and discrepancies within Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) and bank records.
• Article III: Allegations of bribery related to cash envelopes reportedly distributed to DepEd officials during Duterte’s tenure as Secretary of Education.
• Article IV: Duterte’s controversial remarks in November 2024, in which she publicly claimed she had arranged for an assassin to target President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez should she herself be killed.*
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