FACT CHECK: Arroyo not the new House speaker, did not junk impeachment raps vs VP Sara

Claim: Former president and now Pampanga 2nd District Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has been named the new speaker of the House of Representatives and dismissed the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte. 

Rating: FALSE 

Why we fact-checked this: The post bearing the claim has already received 5,000 reactions, 990 comments, and 304 shares as of writing. It was posted on March 21, amid the House proceedings on the impeachment complaints against the Vice President. 

The post shows a composite photo of Duterte, Arroyo, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., former House speaker Martin Romualdez, as well as House Majority Floor Leader and presidential son Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos. 

The text on the photo reads, “Kamara, nabaliktad na. Gloria binasura agad ang impeachment.”

(The House has switched sides. Gloria immediately dismissed the impeachment.) 

It also added, “New Speaker Arroyo. Kongreso nag-motion na! (Congress has already made a motion).” 

The facts: The House has not declared Arroyo as its new speaker. Isabela 6th District Representative Faustino “Bojie” Dy remains the highest-ranking official of the lower chamber, according to the official website of the House of Representatives. 

Dy replaced Romualdez in September 2025, after the latter’s formal resignation amid the flood control and budget insertion controversy. 

There are also no reports that the impeachment complaints against Duterte have already been dismissed. In fact, the House justice committee declared on March 18 that the impeachment raps have sufficient grounds and began the public hearings on March 25. 

During the hearing, the House justice committee ordered various personalities to testify before the panel and compelled various government agencies to produce documents related to the investigation. (WATCH: Rappler Recap: Sara Duterte snubs House panel impeachment hearing)

Impeachment: After the Supreme Court ruled in July 2025 and affirmed in January 2026 that the impeachment complaints against Duterte were unconstitutional for violating the one-year bar rule, new complaints were filed in February 2026, where two out of four complaints were declared sufficient in form and substance. 

The complaints stemmed from Duterte’s alleged misuse of confidential funds, fabrication of submissions to the Commission on Audit, bribery of education officials, accumulation of unexplained wealth, and apparent threats to the life of Marcos and his family.

In her response, Duterte slammed the alleged double standards of the House in assessing the impeachment complaints against public officials, comparing her case to that of Marcos, whose two impeachment raps were dismissed by the lower chamber. 

Arroyo’s role: Arroyo was previously the House speaker under former president Rodrigo Duterte’s term. She has long been known as a Duterte ally. 

In 2019, Arroyo thanked former president Duterte for “providing the atmosphere” that resulted in her Supreme Court acquittal on plunder charges. In 2020, she defended Duterte against those criticizing his “lack of response” during the pandemic. Arroyo also campaigned for the tandem of Marcos and now Vice President Sara Duterte in the 2022 elections. 

Previous fact-checks: Rappler has previously debunked similar false claims about Sara Duterte’s impeachment: 

• FACT CHECK: 2025 news report used to claim VP Sara is now impeached 
• FACT CHECK: SC ruling on impeachment did not declare Sara Duterte innocent 
• FACT CHECK: Nadine Lustre did not file an impeachment complaint vs Sara Duterte

– Angelee Kaye Abelinde/Rappler.com 

Angelee Kaye Abelinde is a student journalist based in Naga City, and an alumna of Rappler’s Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship 2024. 

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