THE House Committee on Justice ruled that the two impeachment complaints filed against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. were sufficient in form and is set to determine whether these are sufficient in substance on Tuesday, Feb. 3.
“What we finished today is what we call under the rules as sufficiency in form. Meaning, the impeachment complaint should be signed by the complainant, verified based on personal knowledge and authentic records, [and] has an endorsement — resolution of endorsement by a member of the House,” Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville Luistro, the committee chairman, said in Filipino and English in a press briefing on Monday.
“For tomorrow, we will be moving to the determination of sufficiency in substance,” Luistro said.
FIRST VOTING Lawmakers vote on the impeachment complaints filed against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Feb. 2, 2026. They determined that these were sufficient in form. PHOTO BY JOHN ORVEN VERDOTE
Sufficiency in substance means that the wrongs alleged “must constitute the offense which is the ground for impeachment,” she said.
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Stating alleged wrongs in an impeachment complaint is not enough, Luistro said. The question is whether the alleged wrongs are impeachable offenses.
Luistro said the determination of whether an impeachment complaint is sufficient in form and substance are preliminary matters.
In determining sufficiency in form and substance, the committee must only look at “what is stated and what we see on the impeachment complaint.” She said, “We are not supposed to go beyond [that]. We are not allowed to hear evidence to prove the allegations in the complaint.” Voting 46-1 with one other lawmaker abstaining, the committee found the impeachment complaint filed last Jan. 19 by lawyer Andre de Jesus and endorsed by House Deputy Minority Leader and Pusong Pinoy Rep. Jernie Jett Nisay as sufficient in form.
The other one was found sufficient in form with a vote of 35-9 with one other lawmaker abstaining — the impeachment complaint filed last Jan. 26 by private persons including Bagong Alyansang Makabayan President Renato Reyes Jr. as well as former lawmakers Liza Maza, Teodoro Casiño, and Neri Colmenares and endorsed by the three-member Makabayan bloc of lawmakers composed of Kabataan Rep. Renee Co, Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Sarah Elago, and ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio.
House Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Sando Marcos has inhibited himself from participating in all proceedings on the impeachment complaints against the president who is his father.
Among the allegations in the impeachment complaint filed on Jan. 19, 2026 was that President Marcos violated the 1987 Constitution and betrayed public trust “by surrendering” former president Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The impeachment complaint filed on Jan. 26, 2026, was for alleged betrayal of public trust.
The complainants alleged that the president “betrayed public trust by institutionalizing a systematic scheme of corruption through the adoption and implementation of the so-called ‘Baselined-Balanced-Managed Parametric Formula’ (BBM Parametric Formula) as the official allocation mechanism for flood control and other infrastructure projects […]”.
The Palace said the president remains confident that he has not done anything outside the bounds of the law.
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro issued the statement in reaction to the House Justice Committee’s ruling that the two impeachment complaints against the chief executive is “sufficient in form.” “That’s the process. We have to respect that,” she said in a press briefing.
Castro lamented that the filing of an impeachment complaint against Marcos is not a good look for the government as this does not affect only the president but the entire country and even the economy.
Still, Marcos is ready to face the cases the against him, she said.
“Even before, the president said he knows he did nothing wrong. He did nothing illegal, and he did not commit any impeachable offense. That’s why he is confident,” Castro said in Filipino.
Meanwhile, the official said the Palace would leave it to Congress to deliberate newly filed impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte.
Two groups filed separate new impeachment complaints against Duterte after the Supreme Court ruled that last year’s impeachment articles against her were unconstitutional.
“I believe they are the same, almost the same allegations made even before when the first impeachment complaint was filed,” Castro said while also reiterating yet again that Malacañang has no hand in the filing of the complaints.
“So, it’s up to the Congress to evaluate and decide with regard to the subject matter,” she added.
