Lawmakers weigh merits of Duterte ouster cases

THE House of Representatives Justice Committee on Tuesday suspended its hearing on the impeachment complaints against Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio, citing a lack of time, as lawmakers began assessing whether the charges have sufficient grounds to proceed.

The 39-member body concluded its questioning on the third impeachment complaint, with some lawmakers raising jurisdictional concerns. Several members argued that certain allegations covered acts outside Ms. Duterte’s term as Vice-President or involved statements that should not be treated as impeachable offenses.

Batangas Rep. Gerville R. Luistro, who heads the committee, said the hearing would resume on Wednesday to tackle the fourth complaint, which seeks a forensic examination of Ms. Duterte’s bank accounts over allegations of unexplained wealth.

“We are here acting as prosecutors, and checking if there’s probable cause in this case, to determine whether there is a recital of facts constituting the offenses charged,” Party-list Rep. Jan Rurik Padiernos told the committee.

Lawmakers are determining whether the complaints have “substance,” a threshold that would let the cases move forward and trigger a full inquiry.

The third complaint, endorsed by Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Party-list Rep. Leila M. de Lima, accuses Ms. Duterte of committing six impeachable offenses under the 1987 Constitution.

The 98-page filing alleges plunder in connection with the misuse of P500 million in confidential funds allocated to the Office of the Vice-President from 2022 to 2023, as well as P112.5 million allotted to the Department of Education during her tenure as secretary.

“These are not big accusations, not sweeping conclusions,” Ms. de Lima said, urging the committee to allow a full investigation. “These are detailed and factual allegations supported by annexes, audit findings, certifications and testimonies.”

Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez questioned whether allegations tied to Ms. Duterte’s time as Education secretary fall within the committee’s jurisdiction.

He noted that the Constitution specifies which officials are subject to impeachment and said: “I cannot see the secretary of Education as impeachable.”

The complaint also accuses Ms. Duterte of amassing wealth disproportionate to her declared income as a former mayor and vice-mayor, as well as bribery related to government contracts. It further cites remarks in which she allegedly threatened President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez.

Quezon City Rep. Jesus Manuel Angel C. Suntay argued that the alleged threats are protected speech and should not be considered an impeachable offense.

“She said she hired someone to kill if she herself was killed,” he said. “Lo and behold, they are both still alive. It means there was no overt action on the threats.” — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio