Philippines VP Duterte impeachment approved by House panel, goes to plenary for debate

The Committee on Justice (CoJ) of the Philippine House of Representatives unanimously approved its report and resolution setting forth the Articles of Impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday.

All 55 committee members voted in favor of the documents finding Duterte culpable for several offenses that include misuse of public funds, betrayal of public trust, violation of the Constitution, unexplained wealth and abuse of power.

In its report, the CoJ found sufficient evidence that Duterte misused P612.5 (Dh38 million) million in confidential and intelligence funds, including P125 million (Dh7.8 million) allegedly spent in just 11 days in 2022, and alleged procurement irregularities within the Department of Education.

The alleged patterns of abuse, including the alleged use of intelligence funds to pay for unauthorised, fabricated reports, constitute abuse of power, the committee declared.

Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.

'Adequate proof'

CoJ chairperson Gerville Luistro in her opening statement paid particular attention to videos of Duterte threatening to have President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, First Lady Liza Araneta and former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez assassinated.

Luistro also said that even with Duterte’s absence in all eight hearings since January, the vice president’s sworn Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) is adequate proof she also committed graft and corruption, bribery and violation of other requirements, such as divestment in businesses while in office.

Luistro directed the Committee secretariat to submitted the approved documents to the House of Representatives (HoR) plenary, which is expected to vote whether to impeach Duterte or not.

One hundred six votes from the 318-member HoR are required to send the process to the Philippine Senate for a full trial. It is expected to sail through as only about 10 representatives remain avowedly loyal to the once formidable Duterte super-majority prior to 2022.

Ready to convene 

The Senate leadership earlier said the chamber is ready to immediately convene as an impeachment court. Senator Panfilo Lacson, however, said they may need an additional three weeks to review all the documents before the actual trial starts.

Meanwhile, on Monday, Duterte lawyer and spokesperson Michael Wesley Poa told a news program their defense team is ready for the Senate trial.

Duterte is currently out of the Philippines on a three-week tour of South Korea, The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.