THE House Committee on Justice will start the hearing proper on the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte today, March 25.
The committee will convene at 10 a.m. at the House of Representatives’ People Center where it will lay down ground rules and resolve motions.
“If the complainants are ready, we can actually proceed to presentation of evidence and witnesses,” said Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville Luistro, the committee chairman.
In the hearing proper, the committee will determine whether there is probable cause to impeach Duterte, based on two complaints that it found sufficient in form and substance.
One complaint, filed by priests and others, alleged that Duterte committed a culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayed the public trust in connection with confidential funds allocated to the Office of the Vice President (OVP) for 2022 and 2023 and confidential funds allocated for 2023 to the Department of Education (DepEd) which Duterte led as secretary before she resigned in 2024 from that post.
This complaint also alleged that Duterte committed culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayed the public trust and committed high crimes “in contracting to murder or assassinate” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former speaker Martin Romualdez. The complaint cited a Nov. 23, 2024 briefing with the media in which she said, “[...] may kinausap na ako na tao. Sinabi ko sa kanya kapag pinatay ako, patayin mo si BBM, si Liza Araneta, at si Martin Romualdez. (I’ve spoken to someone. I told him if I am killed, kill BBM, Liza Araneta and Martin Romualdez).” Duterte has denied making an assassination threat to Marcos.
The other impeachment complaint filed on Feb. 18, 2026, by lawyer Nathaniel Cabrera alleged that Duterte “committed acts that constitute culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes, by publicly admitting the contracting of an assassin.” The complaint also alleged that she “betrayed the public trust and committed acts of graft and corruption by grossly abusing discretionary authority over confidential funds appropriated to the” OVP and DepEd.
Duterte had said the complaints should be dismissed since the charges “cannot withstand serious scrutiny.” She also said the complaints failed to show “any shred of proof” that a contract to kill ever existed. “Instead, complainants rely on exaggerated conclusions dressed up as fact,” she said.
