Manila: The House of Representatives is set for a historic vote Monday to affirm the Committee on Justice report finding probable cause in the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte. The voting, after weeks of hearings and the presentation of documentary evidence, will pave the way for the transmittal of the four Articles of Impeachment to the Senate impeachment court.
According to Philippines News Agency, Justice panel chair Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville Luistro stated that the committee is prepared to defend before the plenary the findings, evidence, and proceedings that led to the unanimous approval of the impeachment report. Luistro expressed anticipation for Monday's opportunity to defend the committee report and the Articles of Impeachment.
The Committee on Justice voted unanimously, 53-0, to impeach Duterte and later overwhelmingly approved, 55-0, the committee report and resolution, setting forth the Articles of Impeachment for plenary deliberations. Luistro noted that lawmakers could expect intense debates on both the panel's findings and the conduct of the proceedings, but emphasized the Justice committee's readiness to answer questions from House members.
Luistro will personally deliver the sponsorship speech summarizing the proceedings, the consolidated Articles of Impeachment, and the evidence presented before the panel. Under the constitution, at least one-third of all House members-or 106 votes out of the 318-member chamber-would be enough to approve the Articles of Impeachment and immediately transmit them to the Senate for trial. The voting will be done through nominal voting, with each House member individually called to publicly cast a yes or no vote.
The plenary discussions will focus on the four consolidated Articles of Impeachment adopted by the Justice panel after combining similar allegations from the Saballa and Cabrera impeachment complaints. The first article involves the alleged misuse and irregular disbursement of confidential funds under both the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) during Duterte's tenure as secretary.
The justice panel examined the alleged questionable utilization of PHP612.5 million in confidential funds-PHP500 million under the OVP and PHP112.5 million under DepEd. Lawmakers also tackled allegations that PHP125 million in confidential funds released to the OVP in late 2022 had been consumed in less than 24 hours, based on testimony from self-confessed Duterte 'bagman' Ramil Madriaga.
The second article focuses on allegations of unexplained wealth and discrepancies involving Duterte's Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) and bank transactions flagged by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC). The Justice panel reviewed AMLC findings showing 663 covered and suspicious transactions totaling about PHP6.77 billion allegedly linked to Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases Carpio.
The third article concerns allegations of bribery tied to cash envelopes reportedly distributed to DepEd officials when Duterte was secretary. Lawmakers received testimony and records involving alleged PHP50,000 cash in envelopes labeled 'HOPE,' which were allegedly handed to officials connected to procurement functions within the department.
The fourth article centers on Duterte's controversial remarks in November 2024 in which she publicly stated online that she had arranged for President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and then-Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez to be killed should anything happen to her. The Justice panel examined evidence and testimony related to the National Bureau of Investigation's authentication of the video and the subsequent criminal investigation triggered by Duterte's statements.
