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Explainer: How Philippine President Marcos escaped impeachment and what happens next
Petitioners remain steadfast there is evidence of systemic corruption, abuse of unprogrammed appropriations and the modus operandi of kickbacks in the Marcos government
- PUBLISHED: Fri 6 Feb 2026, 7:00 AM
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has gained immunity from being impeached for one year after the Congressional Justice Committee on Wednesday junked the two impeachment complaints filed against him.
It was an abrupt ending to a political exercise calling for the highest leader of the land to answer allegations about his role in the flood control fiasco and national budget corruption, after the 47-member committee struck down the petitions as both "insufficient in substance."
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Questions, however, remain, and Khaleej Times asked Filipino anti-corruption advocates what transpired and what will happen next after the impeachment bid was junked. Here are their answers.
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1. Was there insufficient evidence of betrayal of public trust by Marcos in the complaints?
Complainants, led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), categorically said: No. "There is evidence of systemic corruption, abuse of unprogrammed appropriations and the modus operandi of kickbacks as mentioned in the second complaint."
Bayan said they are ready to present the evidence in the next stage of the impeachment proceedings, including how the system of kickbacks for the Office of the President works or is implemented. Also included in the evidence to be presented is the testimony of a former public works undersecretary (deputy minister) who claimed he handled kickbacks worth P8 billion (Dh 500 million) allocated for Marcos and his cohorts.
2. What should have been determined at the committee level?
All that was needed was to mention the impeachable acts of the president and why they were a betrayal of public trust. It was unnecessary to present the evidence or prove that all the allegations are true during the preliminary determination of sufficiency of substance. It was enough to determine if the actions or acts of omission listed in the complaints constitute the impeachable offence of betrayal of public trust.
3. Why did the justice committee refuse to acknowledge the complaints as sufficient in substance?
Bayan said the congressmen who voted in favour of junking the impeachment complaint "consciously did not want the process to reach the point that Marcos would be dragged into an impeachment trial. They did not want Marcos face the allegations against him."
4. If the complaints were dismissed by Congress, does it mean that the allegations against the President were baseless?
"No. The dismissal was made only because of technicalities and distortions of the rules on impeachment. It does not mean that the allegations of corruption and kickbacks, or the abuse of “unprogrammed appropriations,” are baseless," Bayan pointed out, adding: "Until no one is held accountable, these serious allegations will remain as proof of collusion between corrupt congressmen and the president."
5. Is the Marcos impeachment dead?
Not just yet, because the committee-level decision will still be voted on in the plenary and can become articles of impeachment if it gets the vote of 1/3 members of the House of Representative.
"But we know that this number is harder to get. Most likely, the impeachment complaint shall be buried once it is filed in the plenary," Bayan admitted.
6. What is the effect of the dismissal to the impeachment complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte?
Bayan said: "It is inevitable to compare the treatment of the Marcos impeachment and the Duterte impeachment, whether the latter will also pass through the eye of a needle and whether there will be double standards.
"It is important to remember that the House of Representatives are now mostly made up of pro-Marcos political butterflies who were previously pro-Duterte during former president Rodrigo Duterte's regime. Therefore, there is a chance that the impeachment complaints against the vice president may be voted as both sufficient in form and substance."
7. What’s in store for the anti-corruption movement?
Anti-corruption advocates are confident that a big number of Filipinos at home and abroad will continue to look for ways to bring out the truth and hold everyone involved in corruption accountable.
"The protests will continue," said Bayan, noting: "On February 25, the 40th anniversary of the People Power uprising that first ousted the Marcos family in 1986, big anti-corruption rallies will be held across the Philippines and abroad."
