By Jose Cielito Reganit | Philippine News Agency
The House Committee on Justice on Wednesday found probable cause to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte.
With identical 53 votes, both the Saballa and Cabrera complaints were approved with no objections and no abstentions.
The third impeachment complaint was filed by Rev. Father Joel Saballa and others, endorsed by Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, while the fourth was filed by lawyer Nathaniel Cabrera and endorsed by Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. and Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V of La Union.
The vote came after Pinoy Workers Party-list Rep. Franz Legazpi moved for a determination of probable cause on each of the two complaints.
After the voting, De Lima moved to consolidate the two impeachment complaints, arguing that since they are anchored on the same constitutional grounds and arise from the same series of alleged acts, the Articles of Impeachment should be unified and comprehensive.
This was immediately seconded, and House Committee on Justice Chair Atty. Gerville Luistro of Batangas directed the committee to prepare the report and transmit the same to the complainants, the respondent, and the justice members.
The justice committee’s findings and final vote clear the way for the panel to submit its report and corresponding Articles of Impeachment to the plenary for consideration, in which a one-third vote of all House members will be needed to impeach the Vice President and ultimately send the case to the Senate for trial.
Before the vote, the complainants’ endorsers presented their summations and closing statements.
De Lima, who endorsed the Saballa complaint, said the committee had observed a clear pattern of misuse and abuse of the P612.5 million in confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd).
She cited the testimony of alleged bagman Ramil Madriaga; the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) findings that only a handful of individuals signed multiple acknowledgment receipts; the Commission on Audit’s (COA) notices of disallowance on the confidential funds; its final ruling denying the OVP’s appeal and requiring restitution; and the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) certification that many of the names on the receipts have no records in the civil registry.
“Matapos ang tatlong clarificatory hearings batay sa mga testimonya, dokumento at ebidensyang iniharap, malinaw ang ating konklusyon: there exists probable cause,” she said.
On the allegation of unexplained wealth, De Lima pointed to the stark gap between Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs), where she failed to explicitly declare her cash on hand and bank deposits for six consecutive years beginning 2019; and the Anti-Money Laundering Council’s report of P6.77 billion in covered and suspicious transactions across 663 reports involving her and her husband’s accounts.
She also cited the AMLC’s confirmation that all 19 of the randomly selected transactions from former senator Antonio Trillanes IV’s records matched Duterte’s bank transactions on the same dates and amounts in the council’s records.
On the final allegation of grave threats and destabilization, De Lima stressed that there is no doubt VP Duterte issued death threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
She said the Vice President’s clear statements speak for themselves.
Abante then presented his summation of the committee’s findings.
He first cited how Madriaga’s testimony had answered the mystery of the cash-filled duffel bags in December 2022, revealing that the P125 million was delivered in less than 24 hours, not the 11 days cited in the COA report.
He also mentioned Duterte’s alleged ties to Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) and the illegal drug trade, where Madriaga claimed the Vice President’s campaign had been financed by these activities.
Reports from former senator Antonio Trillanes and the AMLC also showed alleged “payouts” made by POGO and drug-related personalities such as Sammy Uy, Michael Yang, and Lin Wei Xiong.
The Manila lawmaker further emphasized that the Vice President’s statements regarding an assassination plot against the President, her remarks about being a designated survivor during a State of the Nation Address she didn’t attend, and her use of security personnel to handle confidential funds are serious matters, and far from a joke.
“Ito ay malinaw na betrayal of public trust at culpable violation of the Constitution,” Abante said.
Concluding his summation, Abante said the time to impeach the Vice President is now, and the probable cause to bring the case to the Senate for trial could not be any clearer.
“Madam Chairman, may sapat na ‘usok’ na tayo para patunayang may ‘sunog’. May malakas na probable cause upang i-impeach si Sara Duterte. Hindi ito ‘fishing expedition.’ Ito ay paghahanap ng katarungan para sa kaban ng bayan na nilagay sa mga duffel bag at itinago sa dilim. Panahon na upang dalhin ang kasong ito sa Senado. Panahon na para sa katotohanan,” he said.
