It is a crucial step in the process.
On Wednesday, March 4, the House Committee on Justice deliberated on the impeachment raps filed against Vice President Sara Duterte.
The two remaining cases filed before the House of Representatives was the third case filed by Fr. Jose Saballa and others and that was endorsed by ML Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, and the fourth complaint that was filed by lawyer Nathaniel Cabrera and endorsed by Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. and Deputy Speaker and La Union Rep. Francisco Paolo Ortega V.
The panel, chaired by Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro, voted after completing deliberations on the third and fourth verified complaints, which were earlier found “sufficient in form” last Monday.
If proven true, these could constitute impeachable offenses.
Luistro noted before proceeding with the vote, “This is the stage where we ask: Do the allegations rise to the level of impeachable offenses? Do these complaints meet the constitutional threshold to move forward? And [more] importantly, are the allegations credible enough to justify moving forward with the process?”
“At this stage, we are not determining guilt,” she emphasized.
Both complaints were approved by an identical vote of 54 in favor, one against and zero abstentions, which formally declared the third and fourth impeachment complaints sufficient in substance.
In the third complaint, Duterte is being charging with the alleged misuse confidential funds, submitting questionable liquidation documents, committing corruption during her tenure as the secretary of the Department of Education.
It also includes her alleged threat to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
Meanwhile, in the fourth case, it is grounded on procurement irregularities; omissions and misdeclarations in Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN); unexplained wealth; and command responsibility for the alleged misuse of public funds.
Both complaints, according to the House, have invoked impeachable offenses under Article XI, Section 2 of the 1987 Constitution, including culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, bribery and other high crimes.
Following the voting, the committee also approved a motion directing the issuance of notice to the Vice President to file her answer to the two impeachment complaints within a non-extendable period of 10 calendar days from receipt of the notice.