Philippines' Impeachment Cases: A Look Back at Landmark Proceedings

The House of Representatives has impeached five officials in Philippine history. Under impeachment rules, an official impeached by the House will stand trial before the Senate impeachment court. In the Senate impeachment court, senators serve as judges (senator-judges) to try the case of the impeachable official based on the Articles of Impeachment transmitted by the lower chamber. Vice President Sara Duterte stands as the most recent official impeached by the House, with her trial commencing on July 6, 2026. But before the Vice President’s case, what were the historical impeachment proceedings that went before? Ouster amid trial: Joseph Estrada Former president Joseph Ejercito Estrada was the first Philippine president to be impeached by the House of Representatives for alleged bribery and corruption. “Before the Committee on Justice to the House on the verified complaint of the members for impeachment against His Excellency President Joseph Ejercito Estrada. In case the verified complaint of the members of the House, the same shall constitute the articles of impeachment and trial by the Senate shall forthwith proceed,” former House Speaker Manny Villar declared on November 13, 2000. A wave of conflicting emotions swept through the House plenary during the reading of the Articles of Impeachment against Estrada— drawing celebration from supporters and opposition from his allies. Estrada’s case was later transmitted to the Senate impeachment court. One of the prosecution panel’s critical witnesses was Clarissa Ocampo, then senior vice president of Equitable PCI Bank, who directly linked Estrada to the controversial Jose Velarde secret bank account. Ocampo testified that she personally brought the bank documents to Malacañang on February 4, 1999, for Estrada's signature. She said that she witnessed Estrada sign the documents using the alias "Jose Velarde" to authorize a $10-million investment management agreement funded by the account. During a trial on December 22, 2000, Ocampo was asked who affixed the signature of Jose Velarde on the document in question. She answered, “The President Joseph Ejercito Estrada affixed the signature.” The impeachment proceedings became more heated during the debate on whether the “second envelope”—believed to contain crucial evidence against Estrada—should be opened. Among the senator-judges who engaged in the debate were Senator Loren Legarda and former senator Juan Ponce Enrile. “We talk of discovering the truth. There are people in this chamber who do not know the meaning of truth,” Enrile said. “Our job here is to ferret out the truth. The people deserve nothing less than to know the truth. Payagan po natin, malaman ng taong-bayan ang katotohanan sa pagbukas po ng pangalawang dokumento,” Legarda said. (… Let us allow the Filipino people to know the truth by opening the second document.) With 11 votes against and 10 in favor, the impeachment court ruled that the second envelope should not be opened. This prompted the House prosecutors, as well as several people present in the Senate, to walk out, and catalyzed the people to march once again to EDSA, an event that became known as EDSA Dos. The military also withdrew its support from Estrada and aligned itself with the public's protest. This ultimately led to Estrada stepping down from office. He became the first president of the country to be ousted from power while undergoing an impeachment trial. Pre-Trial Resignations: Ombudsman, Comelec chiefs “Tao rin ako, nasasaktan din ako. Pero sana maging fair naman itong ating mga detractors. Huwag lang naman ‘yung mga negative ang nakikita sa akin. Hindi po ako korap. Iyan po ang maipagmamalaki ko sa inyo.” (I am only human, I get hurt too. But I hope our detractors can be fair. I wish they wouldn’t just look at the negative things about me. I am not corrupt—that is something I can proudly stand by before all of you.) These were the words of then-ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, who was accused of alleged betrayal of public trust. Ten days before her Senate impeachment trial started on April 29, 2011, Gutierrez resigned from her post. “As the president himself has ordered his allies in the House of Representatives to impeach me. They are not interested in ferreting out the truth and seeking out real accountability. They are just interested in removing me from the office no matter what,” Gutierrez said. Due to her resignation, her impeachment trial did not proceed as expected and as scheduled. A similar scenario played out in the impeachment case of former Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Andres Bautista, who resigned from his post on the same day that the House approved his impeachment. “Handa po nating harapin ang anumang paratang laban sa akin sa tamang lugar at basta tama po ‘yung proseso at kumbaga sa akin ito rin ay isa ring pagkakataon malinisan ang anumang bahid na ibinato sa akin,” Bautista said on October 11, 2017. (I am ready to face any accusation against me in the proper forum, provided that the process is correct. In a way, I see this as an opportunity to clear my name of any stains thrown at me.) Bautista was accused of betrayal of public trust for allegedly failing to address the hacking of the Comelec website in March 2016 and for allegedly failing to accurately declare his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN). Convicted: Renato Corona During his impeachment trial in May 2012, then-Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona walked out of the Senate hall after delivering a statement, even though the impeachment court had not yet discharged him. “And now the chief justice of the Republic of the Philippines wishes to be excused,” Corona said at the end of his statement. These words were applauded by his supporters. Then-Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile insisted on his return and was prompted to order the lockdown of the Senate. Shortly after, Corona’s sugar level reportedly dropped while he was still within the Senate premises. Nearly an hour later, he returned to the hall in a wheelchair, having already removed his coat. On that same day, Corona signed a 'conditional' waiver allowing the government and banking institutions to disclose to the public all documents and information regarding his properties, businesses, and even his foreign currency accounts. Voting 20-3, the Senate sitting as the impeachment court convicted Corona for betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Philippine Constitution on May 29, 2012. Corona was found guilty for allegedly failing to declare his assets, including real estate properties in his SALN. He was the first official in the country to be convicted through an impeachment trial. Following his impeachment, Corona faced criminal and civil charges related to his alleged ill-gotten wealth and the misdeclaration of assets in his SALN from 2001 to 2011. Information Source: GMA News Philippines