The impeachment investigation against Vice President Sara Duterte has entered a contentious phase, as her legal team dismissed a key subpoena seeking decades of her Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs), calling it “irrelevant” to the case.
The House Committee on Justice had requested Duterte’s SALNs from 2007 to 2024, covering her terms as vice mayor and mayor of Davao City, as well as her current position of Vice President.
“In that case, it’s very clear from the Supreme Court decision that an impeachable offense must be committed in relation to their office and during the current term,” Duterte’s spokesperson, Atty. Michael Poa, said in a television interview.
“So for us, from 2007 onwards, when she was still mayor or vice mayor, that is irrelevant,” he added.
The Supreme Court has clarified that impeachment charges must stem from actions or omissions directly related to an official’s duties and committed during their current term.
For the President and Vice President, such acts must be serious enough to qualify as crimes listed under Article XI, Section 2 of the Constitution, or constitute a betrayal of public trust.
Poa stressed it was the House’s job to establish probable cause, not to act as a court or conduct a trial.
“Our position is it must determine probable cause. You have to just look at the complaints, the allegations stated therein, and the attached evidence. Going beyond that is no longer simply a determination of probable cause,” he said.
Duterte faced multiple impeachment complaints in 2025, alleging betrayal of public trust, misuse of funds, and incomplete asset declarations. Earlier efforts stalled when the Supreme Court ruled some procedures unconstitutional, citing the one-year bar on refiling complaints.
Meanwhile, Duterte’s camp said it was ready to face a Senate trial if the House secures enough votes to transmit the impeachment case to the upper chamber.
“If a vote is held and the numbers are there, we are ready,” Poa said, adding that they would not oppose any fast-tracking by the House.
The House began hearings on 25 March without Duterte or her lawyers in attendance. Two complaints have already been deemed “sufficient in form, substance, and grounds” by the House Committee on Justice.