Panelo doubts Senate will convict Sara

Former chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo said on Sunday he expects the House of Representatives to approve the transmission of the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte, but warned that securing enough votes for conviction in the Senate will be difficult.

Panelo explained the impeachment case will almost certainly be elevated to the Senate following the House Committee on Justice’s overwhelming vote declaring the two complaints against Duterte “sufficient in substance.”

“There’s no doubt it will be elevated; it will definitely be transmitted to the Senate, no question about it. It’s all just a show in the House. The problem will be in the Senate. They’ll struggle to get 16 votes,” Panelo said in a television interview.

He said the House may act decisively, but the real challenge lies in securing the required 16 Senate votes to convict the Vice President.

Panelo also questioned how many House members will eventually vote to transmit the articles of impeachment, predicting the number may fall short of the 215 lawmakers who signed the complaints in 2025.

He suggested some legislators could weigh the political implications ahead of the 2028 presidential election.

“Some of them, there are still two years and two months to go, so we could still cozy up to the administration,” he said.

Rufus hit

Panelo also criticized Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez for voting to declare the complaints sufficient despite questioning some of the grounds cited.

Rodriguez earlier raised concerns about whether Duterte could be impeached for actions taken while serving as Education Secretary, noting that a Cabinet secretary is not an impeachable official.

“What happened there, I thought you were against it, why did you vote?… Not consistent. I thought you were on the side of Duterte, but it turns out you voted as well,” Panelo said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V of La Union urged the House Committee on Justice to invite former Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang as a resource person in the ongoing deliberations on the impeachment complaints.

Ortega said Carandang’s experience in investigating financial transactions, including bank records obtained from the Anti-Money Laundering Council, could help lawmakers better understand issues involving statements of assets, liabilities and net worth and allegations of unexplained wealth.

“Financial investigations are technical. They involve examining asset declarations, financial documents and bank records. Someone with experience in conducting these investigations can help the committee understand how such evidence is evaluated,” Ortega said.