Marcos impeachment raps cleared for 'form'

Both impeachment complaints against President Bongbong Marcos were declared sufficient in form on Monday, February 2, paving the way for the House of Representatives to determine whether they are also sufficient in substance.

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Luistro (Batangas, 2nd District) holds up the Makabayan-endorsed impeachment complaint against President Bongbong Marcos, showing the notarization of the verification on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. House of Representatives / Released

(House of Representatives / Released)

When an impeachment complaint is deemed sufficient in form, that means it was properly filed, signed, sworn under oath and endorsed by a member of the lower chamber.

The complaints include one filed by lawyer Andre de Jesus and endorsed by Rep. Jett Nisay (Pusong Pinoy Party-List), and another by 36 complainants representing marginalized sectors, endorsed by the three-member Makabayan bloc.

The House Committee on Justice's decision, however, was not unanimous. During the first hearing, several lawmakers tried to block the complaints from moving forward by raising highly technical objections.

The submission endorsed by Nisay, initially branded by some lawmakers as baseless or weak, faced minimal opposition to the ruling that it was sufficient in form. The justice committee, composed of regular members, ex officio members, and deputized nonmembers, voted 46-1-1 in favor of the complaint.

Rep. Bienvenido “Benny” Abante (Manila, 6th District) was the only lawmaker who was against this complaint, unsatisfied with Nisay's manifestation that the complaint was properly filed and verified.

The second complaint, meanwhile, faced several objections. Rep. Joel Chua (Manila, 3rd District) questioned the authenticity of the complainants' signatures, raising concerns that they may not actually belong to the signatories.