Amid the Questions of Duterte Camp, House Panel Asserts Legality of Impeachment Proceedings
HOUSE PANEL – The House Justice Committee defended the continued proceedings over the impeachment complaints versus Vice President Sara Duterte.
The camp of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte previously filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to stop the House Justice Committee from pushing through with the impeachment proceedings. The high court asked the committee to explain.
Amid the non-issuance of a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), House Speaker Bojie Dy previously announced that the impeachment proceedings will continue. The House committee held the second impeachment proceedings today.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte skipped the first impeachment hearing held by the House Justice panel. Her camp questions the constitutionality of the process as they believe that the Senate is the proper forum for it.
Out of the four (4) impeachment raps filed against the Vice President, two (2) of them were declared sufficient in form, substance, and grounds. Here are some of the grounds raised against the Vice President:
- Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes in amassing and converting the amount over PHP 500 million confidential funds (CF) allocated to the Office of the Vice President from 2022 to 2023
- Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes in amassing and converting the amount of not less than PHP 112.5 million of confidential funds allocated to the Department of Education (DepEd) for the year 2023
- Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust by corrupting and bribing officials of the DepEd
- Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes in contracting to murder or assassinate the president, the first lady, and the former speaker of the House
- Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust in amassing unexplained wealth and failing to disclose all her properties and interests in properties in her SALN
- Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust in committing acts of political destabilization and the high crimes of sedition and insurrection
Today, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s lawyer, Atty. Michael Poa, attended the hearing of the House panel over the impeachment complaints against the Vice President. He clarified that it has nothing to do with the defense of the Vice President.
“I was under compulsory process. That is without prejudice to the defenses of the Vice President,” Duterte’s lawyer said.
Recently, the House Justice panel defended its ongoing proceedings of the impeachment complaints against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. Based on News5, House Committee on Justice Chairperson Rep. Gerville Luistro stressed the mandate of the House of Representatives under the Philippine Constitution.
“Sa kamara nagsisimula ang impeachment process. Sa atin ang unang galaw, sa atin ang direksyon… Hawak natin ang beat. At sa kapangyarihan ito, pananagutan sa taumbayan ang dapat manaig,” Luistro said.
Based on the post, the House Justice panel chairperson further stressed that they are supposedly “not overstepping”. She stressed that they are simply adhering to the laws.
“We are not overstepping. We are not improvising. We are simply following the Constitution,” the House Justice panel Chairperson said.
Amid the issues against the Vice President, Senator Bong Go stressed his belief that only the presidency of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte can allegedly bring the Filipinos’ lives back to normal.