Manila, May 11 -- With 255 affirmative votes, 26 in the negative and 9 abstentions, the House of Representatives on Monday voted to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte, approving the House Committee on Justice report transmitting the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate for trial.

The vote far exceeded the 106 votes, or one-third of the constitutional threshold, required to impeach a public official and even surpassed the original 240 lawmakers who backed the first impeachment bid against Duterte in the 19th Congress.

Committee on Justice chairperson Rep. Gerville Luistro of Batangas delivered the opening statement and presented the articles of impeachment against the Vice President.

She said the vote will not be merely about numbers,...