House panel unanimously approves articles of impeachment against Sara Duterte

The House Committee on Justice has unanimously approved the adoption of its report finding probable cause for the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, clearing the path toward the transmission of the articles of impeachment to the House plenary.

"Malayo pa pero malayo na. That is where we stand today," Rep. Gerville R. Luistro said at the House Committee on Justice's hearing on Monday, May 4.

"We recognize that this has been a difficult and demanding process. But we also recognize how much we have already uncovered. Marami na tayong naabot sa mga nakaraang linggo. Today, we share a quiet sense of accomplishment as we recognize and honor the distance we have traveled since we first began," she added. 

Luistro summarized the past events regarding the impeachment complaints. On March 2, the committee established sufficiency in form; on March 4, they established sufficiency in substance, and asked the VP to file her answer. In response, Duterte sent a 10-page document signed by her 16 lawyers, who argued mostly against the technicalities, per Luistro. 

Many on the committee were surprised by Duterte's reply, Luistro said, "dahil sa totoo lang, hindi naman 'yon ang hinahanap natin. It was an answer that really just avoided the questions."

"We certainly had our ups and downs. We had our inflows and outflows of testimonies and documents. But through it all, one thing remained certain: we never went sideways. Hindi tayo naligaw. Nanatili tayong may direksyon," Luistro added. 

"Sinunod natin ang konstitusyon. Hindi tayo nagmadali. Hindi tayo nag-shortcut. We honored the process. Bawat hakbang, bawat salita, bawat ebidensiya, hinarap natin nang buong pag-iingat at pananagutan," she said. 

"Mahaba pa ang tatahakin nating landas patungong plenaryo at patungong senado. Ngunit hindi na tayo nangangapa. Marami na tayong naungkat. Marami na tayong naisiwalat. At hindi natin hahayaang masayang ang lahat ng ito. Kailangang ituloy ang proseso because this is what justice demands. Only then can we truly achieve accountability," Luistro continued.

Kapag may public official na nagkaroon ng seryosong paratang, huwag nating baliwalain, huwag nating palampasin," she said.

"Let us pursue this to its logical conclusion. Otherwise, the cycle of impunity will only repeat...We owe it to the next generation of Filipinos to show them that no one, no matter how powerful, no matter the title, is above the law," Luistro added. 

"If the vice president is guilty, let the truth convict her. If she is innocent, let the process clear her," she said. 

What happens next?

If approved in the House plenary, the case then heads to the Senate. Per Senate President Tito Sotto, the Senate can begin the impeachment hearing against Duterte by June. However, according to former senator Koko Pimentel, if the Senate minority moves to halt the hearing, there may be a coup d'etat in the Senate. 

"Ang laki ng Minority ngayon, 15 vs. nine. Tandaan mo na you only need 13 votes to elect a new senate president," Pimentel said in an interview with DZBB.

The House Committee on Justice kicked off its hearings on the impeachment complaints filed against Duterte on March 25 after declaring the third and fourth raps sufficient in grounds on March 18.

On March 4, the House panel deemed the third and fourth impeachment complaints, filed by Fr. Sballa et al. and Atty. Nathaniel Cabrera, respectively, against her sufficient in substance.

The third complaint, endorsed by ML Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, accused Duterte of culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, plunder and/or malversation, bribery, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.

The fourth one, endorsed by House Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega and Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante, likewise cited violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and other high crimes as grounds of impeachment.

The first complaint was set aside for violating the one-year bar rule, while the second was withdrawn as it's similar to the third rap.