The House Committee on Justice on Monday declared that two impeachment complaints filed against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. are sufficient in form, paving the way for the next phase of proceedings.

“We have concluded the determination in [the] form of both the De Jesus complaint and the Maza et al. complaint,” Justice Committee Chairperson Rep. Gerville Luistro said.

In a vote of 46-1-1, the committee ruled the first impeachment complaint filed by lawyer Andre De Jesus as sufficient in form. Meanwhile, the second complaint, filed by progressive group Bayan and endorsed by Makabayan lawmakers, was declared sufficient in form with a vote of 35 yes, 9 no, and 1 abstention.

Pusong Pinoy Party-list Rep. Jett Nisay, who endorsed the first complaint filed by De Jesus, expressed confidence that the complaint is “sufficient in form” and should move forward in the impeachment process.

During the deliberation, Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez argued that the second complaint should be considered “insufficient in form” because it was not notarized.

However, Luistro clarified that the complaint included a notarized jurat, satisfying the formal requirements.

Before the deliberations began, Luistro reminded her colleagues of the constitutional provisions on impeachment as the committee began deliberations on whether the complaints were sufficient in both form and substance.

During the session, the Makabayan bloc reaffirmed its support for the second impeachment complaint, while Cong. Benny Abante walked out after the voting.

The committee’s declaration does not yet determine the merits of the complaints; it only confirms that the documents meet the formal requirements to proceed to the next stage of review.

The panel has suspended the hearing and will resume at 10 a.m. on February 3 to deliberate on whether the complaints are sufficient in substance.