Impeach Sara found ‘sufficient in substance’

After less than four hours of deliberations, the House Committee on Justice agreed overwhelmingly on Wednesday to advance the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte. The two remaining complaints were declared sufficient in substance.

In separate motions without objections, both the complaints filed by Fr. Jose Saballa et al. and by lawyer Nathaniel Cabrera gathered 54 yes votes, one no vote, and no abstentions.

The impeachment complaints mainly accuse the Vice President of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution over the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds, and threatening to kill President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos, and then House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

The daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who in February announced her 2028 presidential bid, was impeached last year, only for the Supreme Court to toss the case out over procedural issues.

Under the Constitution, impeachment by the House of Representatives triggers a Senate trial, where a guilty verdict would bar Duterte from public office for life.

The new complaints accuse her of graft and corruption while in office and of making death threats against her former ally, President Marcos and the two others.

She will now have 10 days to respond before the probable cause hearing required to move the complaints to a House vote.

No comment

The Vice President’s legal team said Wednesday they would not comment on specific allegations.

“For now, we will refrain from discussing the substance of the case in the media and will instead address these matters through the proper constitutional processes,” lawyer Michael Poa said in a statement.

The alleged death threats stemmed from a late-night press briefing in which Duterte claimed to have hired an assassin to kill the President and members of his family should she be killed first.

The members of the House panel, chaired by Rep. Gerville Luistro of Batangas, voted 54-1-0 on the third verified complaint filed by Saballa et al.

They then proceeded to vote on the fourth complaint filed by Cabrera et al., obtaining the same 54-1-0 result.

Filed by priests, nuns, and lawyers and likewise endorsed by Mamamayang Liberal Partylist Rep. Leila de Lima, the third complaint raises allegations of misuse of some P612 million in confidential funds and claims of corruption within the Department of Education during Duterte’s tenure as its secretary.

The complaint likewise revived accusations that she threatened to assassinate the President, First Lady and the former Speaker.

Lawyer Nathaniel Cabrera filed the fourth complaint that was endorsed by Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V and Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. It centered on alleged omissions in Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth and claims of unexplained wealth disproportionate to her lawful income.

The votes followed the justice panel’s deliberations on whether the complaints met the constitutional and procedural standards required for further consideration.

The lawmakers emphasized during the deliberations that the committee’s vote does not constitute a finding of guilt, but merely allows the impeachment process to move forward under the constitutional framework.

Once the Vice President submits her answer, the committee will proceed to the next phase of hearings to determine whether probable cause exists to approve the Articles of Impeachment.

If the committee finds probable cause, the approved Articles of Impeachment will be transmitted to the House plenary.

Bank accounts targeted

Duterte’s bank records could then be subpoenaed and examined, House leaders said.

According to Luistro and De Lima, examining Duterte’s bank records is now in order.

“You will remember that one of the exceptions to the Bank Secrecy Law is an impeachment proceeding,” Luistro said.

Section 2 of the Bank Secrecy Act states that all bank deposits are confidential, except in certain cases, including impeachment proceedings.

De Lima, a former justice secretary, agreed with Luistro.