Marcos free to attend or forgo House impeachment hearings

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January 27, 2026 | 3:26pm

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. may or may not attend the House justice committee hearings on the impeachment complaints filed against him.

Justice committee chair Rep. Gerville "Jinkybitrics" Luistro (Batangas, 2nd District) said on Tuesday, January 27, that the respondent's participation is part of his right to due process, but that opting not to attend would be deemed a waiver of his right to be present.

"Kung hindi dumating ang respondent, it is actually his prerogative whether to come or not to come because. ... If he will choose not to come, that will be interpreted as a waiver of his right to be present during the hearing," she told reporters in an ambush interview.  

(If the respondent does not appear, it is actually his prerogative whether or not to attend. … If he chooses not to come, that will be interpreted as a waiver of his right to be present during the hearing.)

Luistro said the panel is set to hold its initial hearings in the first week of February to determine whether the complaints are sufficient in form and substance.

With two impeachment complaints filed, Luistro said the committee will first consolidate the cases before proceeding to deliberate on the merits of the allegations.

Hearings are tentatively scheduled for February 2, 3 and 4. Should these prove insufficient for the panel’s evaluation, additional hearings will be scheduled in the succeeding weeks.

Luistro said the determination of sufficiency in form pertains to compliance with filing requirements, including signature, verification and endorsement by at least one House member.

If satisfied, the committee will then evaluate whether the allegations and grounds cited support a finding of probable cause.

"When we say sufficiency in substance, the allegations of the commission of facts should be able to substantiate the ground for impeachment for which the same is anchored," Luistro said.  

It is also during these committee-level hearings that both the respondent and the complainants would furnish the panel with their affidavits. Any evidence will also be reviewed during this stage. 

Should the justice committee find the complaints sufficient in form and substance, then the panel will submit a committee report to the plenary for voting.

If the panel recommends impeaching Marcos, a one-third vote of all House members is required for it to proceed to trial. The plenary may also overturn the committee's recommendation with a one-third vote as well. 

Since the complaints were already referred to the justice committee, the impeachment proceedings are deemed initiated, and the one-year bar rule has been triggered. This means no other impeachment complaints against the president will be entertained for a year. 

The complaints filed accused Marcos of playing a role in the budget insertions and kickback scheme tied to infrastructure projects, where he allegedly benefited. Complainants also alleged an abuse of authority over the use of unprogrammed appropriations. 

Under the House rules, the justice committee has 60 session days to hold the hearings and come up with a decision in the form of a committee report to be submitted to the plenary.