The House Committee on Justice is set to start deliberations on the two impeachment complaints against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. next Monday, 2 February.

This was confirmed by Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro, the panel chair, who said they are looking at 2, 3 and 4 February for the initial hearings. These sessions will focus on determining whether the complaints are sufficient in form and substance.

“If these dates aren’t enough, we’ll schedule additional sessions the following week,” Luistro said.

She explained that the committee will first check for sufficiency in form —making sure the complaints are properly signed, verified, and endorsed by at least one House member. Next, they will assess sufficiency in substance, meaning whether the allegations are strong enough to support the grounds for impeachment cited in the complaints.

“Basically, we’ll see if the statement of facts and allegations can substantiate one or more grounds for impeachment,” Luistro said.

She emphasized that impeachment complaints must stick strictly to the grounds listed in the Constitution: culpable violation of the Constitution, treason, bribery, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.

Once the complaints pass these sufficiency tests, the panel will move on to determine whether there is a sufficient basis to support the impeachment. Complainants, witnesses, and the respondent — the President — will all be invited to the hearings.

“Attendance at the hearing is a right, not an obligation,” Luistro said. “It’s up to the respondent whether to attend. If he chooses not to, it will be interpreted as a waiver of his right to be present.”

The final step is the determination of probable cause — essentially, whether there is a possibility that the alleged acts or crimes were committed. Luistro noted that this mirrors the threshold used in preliminary investigations.