PHL House panel finds ‘something’ in incriminating raps against VP Duterte

By Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio, A reporter

A House of Representatives panel on Wednesday found that the impeachment complaints of Vice-President (VP) Sara Duterte-Carpio are sufficient to “matter,” advancing the charges for a congressional investigation that will determine whether the charges should be escalated to the Senate for trial.

The House Judiciary Committee approved two complaints against Ms. Duterte after it earlier struck one that failed the merits test and another that was withdrawn by the complainants.

“This is about political accountability,” House Deputy Speaker and La Union Representative Francisco Paolo P. Ortega V, who sponsored the petition against the Vice President, told reporters in mixed English and Filipino after the vote. “The situation is very different now, and all the complaints are very strong.”

The decision of this team will move them forward in the investigation that will clarify whether they deserve it, setting the stage for a debate that has lasted for a long time on the politically difficult charges against Mrs.

The Vice President’s legal team did not comment on the outcome of the initial hearing but is reviewing “the actions taken by the 39-member committee,” said its spokesperson Michael T. Poa in a statement. The panel ordered Ms. Duterte to respond to the allegations against her within ten days before moving forward.

Wednesday’s vote comes as Ms. Duterte, who has emerged as a strong contender in the polls, has announced her bid for the presidency in 2028. Mr. Marcos, who has one six-year term left, has yet to clearly name a successor.

Ms. Duterte previously survived an impeachment attempt after the Supreme Court dismissed the impeachment trial last year due to procedural errors.

The Vice President is facing a number of charges, including allegations that he misused hundreds of millions of pesos in secret funds under the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education while he was its secretary.

The documents include allegations that he amassed wealth disproportionate to his income, attempts to destabilize the government and a plot to kill Mr Marcos, his wife and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, charges he denied.

Four new cases were filed after the one-year ban, but one was dismissed under a law that prevents innocent officials from facing multiple dismissal complaints. One was withdrawn by its plaintiffs in order to speed up the trial.

The third petition, sponsored by Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Party List Representative, Leila M. de Lima, removed the drug test as 54 lawmakers voted in favor, with one against.

He accused Ms. Duterte of misusing R500 million in secret money allocated to the Office of the Vice President from 2022 to 2023, and R112.5 million given to the Department of Education when she was its secretary.

“There is no doubt in my mind that our complaint is indeed sufficient both in form and content,” he told reporters, whose charges include allegations that Ms. Duterte was plotting to undermine the government.

The fourth complaint supported by Mr. Ortega and Manila Rep. Bienvenido M. Abante, Jr., who raised the same allegations, also passed the preliminary examination of the committee with 54 votes in favor and one against. Their filing also accused the Vice President of failing to fully disclose assets in his net worth statements.

Batangas Rep. Gerville R. Luistro, who is in charge of the Justice committee, explained in a press conference that the committee also counted the votes of members who had held positions, including deputy speakers and majority and minority leaders, over the 39 members on the list.

The Judiciary panel will now consider “a discussion of the actual facts” in its next hearing instead of the technicalities that the complaints went through in the first step of the impeachment process, said the group’s attorney Terry L. Ridon.

“Now there are evidences and documents that can be obtained from people and offices,” he said in the same forum.

Ederson DT. Tapia, a political science professor at the University of Makati, said the overwhelming vote in favor of the petitions shows that the House is still with the Marcos administration.

“Many members may view their vote not as a political decision against the Vice President, but as allowing the constitutional process to take its place,” he said in a Facebook Messenger chat. “At the same time, the statistics suggest that the room remains aligned with the leadership, at least in this early stage of the process.”

Mr. Marcos survived an impeachment attempt last month after his allies in the House voted to dismiss the charges, saying they were baseless.