Manila: The House Committee on Justice approved on Monday the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, adopting its Committee Report and transmitting it to the plenary for deliberation and voting after finding probable cause based on weeks of hearings and documentary evidence.
According to Philippines News Agency, with 55 members expressing support, the committee concluded that the evidence on record meets the constitutional threshold to proceed. The report consolidates two verified complaints and outlines multiple grounds for impeachment, including culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption, other high crimes, and betrayal of public trust.
Lawmakers traced the case to four separate complaints filed in early February, including those lodged by Francisca 'France' Castro and Francis Joseph Aquino Dee, as well as later complaints filed by Fr. Joel Saballa and lawyer Nathaniel Cabrera. The committee accepted the withdrawal of one complaint and set aside another for violating the one-year bar rule. It proceeded with the Saballa and Cabrera complaints, which were found 'sufficient in form' and later 'sufficient in substance' by a 54-1 vote.
On March 16, Duterte submitted a 'Consolidated Verified Answer Ad Cautelam,' while complainants waived their right to reply, allowing the panel to proceed to the determination of grounds and probable cause. On March 18, the committee 'unanimously resolved both complaints in the affirmative, finding the existence of sufficient grounds for impeachment.'
Luistro said the panel had 'seen the evidence' and 'examined the evidence,' pointing to testimonies, audit findings, and financial records presented during the hearings. The Articles of Impeachment accuse Duterte of a range of acts, including misuse and irregular liquidation of confidential funds totaling at least PHP500 million in the Office of the Vice President and PHP112.5 million in the Department of Education; amassing unexplained wealth and failing to fully disclose assets in her Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN); bribery and corruption involving officials under her authority; contracting or soliciting acts of violence, including alleged threats against top government officials; and acts of political destabilization and abuse of power.
The report cites audit findings from the Commission on Audit, financial data flagged by the Anti-Money Laundering Council, and testimonies from officials and witnesses, including forensic document examiners and government auditors. During the hearings, lawmakers were presented with testimony on the movement of large sums of cash through informal channels; receipts and liquidation documents flagged as possibly fabricated, including findings of identical handwriting across multiple documents; certifications showing that some listed recipients do not exist in official records; audit findings ordering the refund of tens of millions of pesos and flagging hundreds of millions more for irregularities; and reports of billions of pesos in financial transactions linked to accounts under scrutiny.
Luistro also noted that the committee relied on Duterte's own sworn SALN filings as part of the evidentiary record, raising questions about discrepancies between the declared assets and the financial data presented during the hearings. The committee emphasized that it followed constitutional procedures, beginning with determinations of sufficiency in form and substance in early March, before proceeding to hearings to establish probable cause.
The report also noted that the panel opted not to open a sealed box of tax records submitted by the Bureau of Internal Revenue, citing legal constraints and the view that existing evidence was sufficient at the committee level. With the Committee Report approved, the case now moves to the House plenary, where lawmakers will debate and vote on whether to adopt the Articles of Impeachment.
If at least one-third of all House members vote in favor, the Articles will be transmitted to the Senate, which will convene as an impeachment court.
