The Tamesis
Manila – Batangas Rep. Gervir Luistro said on Sunday that the House Judiciary Committee she leads will find probable cause to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte through its report and submit the charges for debate on Monday.
“The commission has fulfilled its constitutional obligation to determine probable cause based on the evidence presented,” Luistro said.
The 39-member Judiciary Committee last week found probable cause for the complaint seeking Duterte’s ouster and drafted a case based on corruption and constitutional violations that could hurt her prospects as a presidential candidate.
READ: Panel finds ‘probable cause’ to impeach Sara Duterte
The 53 lawmakers voted unanimously that the charges against Duterte were supported by sufficient evidence, based on documents and testimony presented in a series of hearings over the past three weeks.
“We’re dealing with official records — not opinions, not speculation,” Luistro said. “Together, these numbers, documents and sworn testimony establish a pattern that demands accountability.”
Witness testimony and financial records provided since early April support accusations of wrongdoing by Duterte, including a sworn statement from a former campaign supporter who claimed to be Duterte’s “salesman” and delivered bags of cash to several recipients in return.
The Judiciary Committee also received an audit committee report that noted how the funds were used while she served as vice president and education secretary from 2022 to 2024.
The committee also saw a bank transaction report showing billions of pesos flowing through her accounts that were inconsistent with her declared annual wealth.
Luistro said the panel’s decision to uphold the charges against Duterte had “nothing to do with politics.” Duterte has previously claimed that her impeachment was politically motivated.
“This is about the Constitution, it’s about the evidence, it’s about our responsibility to uphold public accountability,” Luistro said. “The House will now act as a body on this matter.”
READ: Ridden: Sara Duterte expected to be impeached in two weeks
At least 106 lawmakers must vote in favor of the complaints before they can be forwarded to the Senate, which will act as an impeachment court. If convicted, Duterte could be ousted and barred from holding public office again.
The impeachment push against Duterte comes amid a bitter feud with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., whom she jointly ran for president in the 2022 election and won a landslide victory fueled by their family’s political prominence.
With Marcos yet to name a successor for the 2028 election, Duterte has emerged as the favorite in the preliminary presidential election. /mcm
