The House Committee on Justice on Tuesday assured that it will be guided by the Constitution and the pursuit of truth as it evaluates the sufficiency in substance of the two remaining impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte.
This assurance was made by committee chair Batangas Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro, who appealed to members to conduct a careful and integrity-driven review of the complaints.
“Ang Saligang Batas ang ating kumpas. Ang katotohanan ang ating landas,” Luistro said in her opening statement.
Luistro reminded committee members that their task is not to determine guilt, but to decide whether the allegations meet the constitutional threshold to move the process forward.
“At this stage, we are not determining the guilt. We are not weighing the evidence. The only question before us is, is there enough in these complaints to justify moving forward with the impeachment process?” she said.
She urged fellow lawmakers to remain anchored on constitutional standards and to approach the review with care, integrity and transparency.
“Kaya’t magpatuloy tayo ng maingat at may integridad. Let us proceed constitutionally, upholding the process set forth by our fundamental law. Let us act with the integrity demanded by our oath of office and with the transparency expected by the Filipino people,” Luistro said.
The committee is now focused on the third and fourth impeachment complaints after voting to set aside the first complaint on one-year bar grounds and approving the withdrawal of the second complaint following the complainants’ decision to support the third.
The impeachment complaints cite betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, bribery and other high crimes under Article XI, Section 2 of the 1987 Constitution.
The third complaint centers on the alleged misuse of about P612 million in confidential funds and claimed irregularities within the Department of Education during Duterte’s tenure as secretary.
It also revives allegations that she threatened to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
The fourth complaint focuses on alleged omissions in Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth and claims of unexplained wealth disproportionate to lawful income.
Luistro said the complaints are voluminous, with the third running 98 pages and the fourth 72 pages, both accompanied by extensive annexes totaling more than 1,700 pages combined.
“Hindi ito biro. Ito ay seryosong mga paratang na nangangailangan ng seryosong pagsusuri,” she said. “Every page raises questions, and every question demands careful consideration.”
The committee’s task, she stressed, is to determine whether the allegations rise to impeachable offenses under the Constitution.
“We are not fortune tellers. Our duty is to scrutinize the documents now before us,” Luistro said. “We are tasked not just with reviewing paperwork, but with making sure that the Constitution is duly followed.”
The panel’s ruling on sufficiency in substance will determine whether the impeachment proceedings advance to the next stage under House rules.
About the Author
