House panel: Grounds sufficient in VP Duterte impeachment cases

The House Committee on Justice voted in favor of declaring the two impeachment complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte sufficient on grounds.

Committee Chairperson and Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville Luistro made the proclamation after motions from Senior Deputy Majority Leader Lorenz Defensor and Deputy Speaker Janette Garin saw no objections from other committee members.

Notably, the lone objector to the two complaints being sufficient in form and substance, Quezon City 4th District Rep. Bong Suntay, was not present in the hearing being asked to appear before the ethics panel for his inappropriate remarks in previous sessions.

Luistro said that the impeachment proceedings would now proceed to the hearing proper where a mini-trial on the case is set to take place, beginning its first official session next Wednesday, March 25.

Lawmakers echoed the sentiment that the response from VP Duterte’s camp failed to directly address the issues raised in both cases, resorting to questioning the procedures of the committee.

The hearing on sufficiency of grounds only lasted a little over an hour as a result with Kabataan Partylist Rep. Renee Co stating that the Vice President gave no appropriate answer to claims in her submitted response.

“The reason why this was quick was because there was no answer, she has a response Ad Cautelam, with caution, but there is no answer to the allegations in the third and fourth impeachment complaints. Her answer is a non-answer,” Co explained.

“Therefore, the allegations remain standing on the third and fourth complaints that the House Committee on Justice previously found sufficient in form and substance,” she added.

Solons further noted that the Vice President failed to specify her rebuttal to specific evidence that was stated in the complaints.

The allegations against VP Duterte include misuse of confidential funds linked with her time as the Secretary of the Department of Education, public threats to the lives of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., first lady Liza Marcos, and former house speaker Martin Romualdez, bribery, and other high crimes.

The justice committee also granted the petition of Akbayan Partylist Rep. Chel Diokno to gain protective custody over the supposed “bagman” of the Vice President, Ramil Madriaga, who is set to serve as a witness in upcoming proceedings.