The deliberations on the four impeachment complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte are scheduled for 2 to 4 March, starting with an assessment of their sufficiency in form and substance, House Committee on Justice Chair Rep. Gerville R. Luistro of Batangas said on Tuesday.
“The four impeachment complaints against the Vice President were referred to the Justice Committee. We are considering starting deliberations on 2, 3 and 4 March — that’s Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday — at least to determine sufficiency in form and substance,” Luistro said.
She said the panel would continue hearings during the House recess if necessary. “If we reach that point regarding the recess, yes, we will continue deliberations even during the House recess,” she said.
Luistro said the first day would focus on sufficiency in form, moving to sufficiency in substance on the following day. “If sufficiency in form is resolved on 2 March, then we will proceed to sufficiency in substance the next day. If not, deliberations will continue on the succeeding day.”
The committee cannot start deliberations this week as it needs time to reproduce the complaints and distribute copies to all members.
“Of course, we cannot start this week as much as we want to act immediately, because the Justice Committee needs to reproduce the complaints and provide copies to all members,” Luistro said.
She explained that while all four complaints will be handled in a single impeachment proceeding, they will not be physically consolidated at the start.
“For clarity, we say consolidation because we will deliberate on the four complaints in one proceeding. Physical consolidation will happen only after we determine the existence of probable cause,” she said.
Luistro outlined the five-step process the committee will follow, beginning with the determination of sufficiency in form and substance.
“We will evaluate sufficiency in form and substance for the entire complaint. Deliberations will be done per complaint, and we will also discuss each ground. But when we vote, it will be based on the entire complaint,” she said.
If the complaints pass these thresholds, the respondent will have 10 calendar days to file an answer, after which the complainant may reply within three days and the respondent may file a rejoinder within another three days. The committee will then hold hearings before voting on probable cause.
Acknowledging the scope of the task, Luistro said the proceedings could take longer than the recent impeachment deliberations against the President, citing the larger number of complaints and grounds involved.
“They are correct to say this may take longer because there are four complaints, compared to only two complaints during the previous presidential impeachment. On that ground, I agree that deliberations will be longer,” she said.
Discussions will proceed per complaint and per ground.
“So if one complaint has five grounds, we will ask members to comment on each ground. With four complaints, that’s a total of 20 grounds to discuss,” Luistro said, adding that some grounds may overlap. “There are repeated or similar grounds raised across the different complaints,” she noted.
Ultimately, the length of the proceedings will depend on whether the complaints pass the standard tests of form and substance.
“Whether the proceedings are long or short will first depend on whether they pass the standards of form and substance. If they do, then the process could be lengthy,” Luistro said.
She emphasized the panel’s readiness to move without delay.
“Because this is a very important process—an extraordinary power given to the Filipino people to impeach a high-ranking official—we do not want to delay the proceedings,” she said.