FACT CHECK: Lawmakers say no perks, budget increase for ‘yes’ vote on VP Sara impeachment

Claim: House members received financial incentives and perks, including an increase in their maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) allocations, amid the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte. 

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The claim was posted by “Cebu Flash Report,” a Facebook page with 231,000 followers. As of writing, the post has 171 likes, 83 comments, and 23 shares. 

The headline of the news graphic reads: “Dagdag 300,000 kada kongresista sa gitna ng impeachment ni VP Sara (An additional P300,000 for each congressman amid the impeachment of VP Sara).”

In its caption, the post further alleges that members of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), including House Speaker Bojie Dy and Majority Leader Sandro Marcos, may receive an additional P200,000 each. The post suggests that the increase in lawmakers’ budget allocations may be linked to securing their support for Duterte’s impeachment. 

The facts: House lawmakers have denied allegations of receiving an increase in their MOOE budget and other financial incentives.

In a report from Inquirer.net, House Deputy Speaker Alfredo “Albee” Benitez and Cagayan de Oro Representative Lordan Suan denied any increase in their MOOE, saying their allocations remain unchanged. Suan added that such allegations are likely part of political misinformation meant to “taint the credibility” of the impeachment process. 

Other House members have also denied similar allegations of vote-buying or incentive schemes tied to Duterte’s impeachment, including claims of cash payments and budget favors for lawmakers.

House justice committee chairperson Gerville Luistro denied claims made by Senator Imee Marcos that lawmakers were allegedly being offered P5 million in cash, P3 million in additional MOOE allocation per month, and P150 million worth of projects in exchange for voting to impeach Duterte.

Luistro also denied Duterte’s accusation that unnamed individuals were “making money” using her name in relation to the impeachment proceedings.

Similarly, Tingog Party-list Representative Jude Acidre and House Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V brushed off the allegations. 

Acidre said Marcos’ claims were “grave, reckless and impossible to take seriously without evidence,” while Ortega said that overwhelming evidence against the Vice President, not any alleged pay-offs or incentives, was the reason behind lawmakers’ vote to impeach Duterte. 

“No amount of spin can erase the fact that congressmen — regardless of affiliation — were confronted with hard numbers, official audit findings, and financial trails that demand accountability. The vote was not coerced; it was compelled by evidence,” Ortega said.

Duterte impeachment: The House of Representatives impeached Duterte for the second time on May 11, making her the first Philippine official to be impeached twice. Lawmakers voted 257–25, with 9 abstentions, to adopt a justice committee report finding probable cause against Duterte on allegations of graft and corruption, unexplained wealth, bribery, and betrayal of public trust.

The impeachment is based on four articles, including the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds, inconsistencies in Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth, alleged cash incentives to Department of Education officials, and alleged threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the First Lady, and former House speaker Martin Romualdez.

The Senate convened as an impeachment court on May 18 and is set to begin the impeachment trial on July 6. 

A conviction would require a two-thirds vote of the Senate, or at least 16 of 24 senators, which could result in Duterte’s removal from office and permanent disqualification from holding public office, directly affecting her 2028 presidential plans. – Marjuice Destinado/Rappler.com

Marjuice Destinado is the news editor for Aninaw Productions and a contributing journalist for Bulatlat. She graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Political Science from Cebu Normal University (CNU) and is an alumna of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 2025.

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