The House Justice Committee said that it has taken note of the petition filed before the Supreme Court by the lawyers allied with Vice President Sara Duterte seeking to stop the ongoing impeachment hearings.
The group, led by lawyer Israelito Torreon, filed a petition for certiorari and prohibition at the Supreme Court on Friday, saying that the panel “overstepped its constitutional gatekeeping role by allowing defective complaints against Duterte to proceed and conducting subpoena-driven evidentiary proceedings that resemble a trial.”
In a statement on Saturday, panel chairman and Batangas City Rep. Gerville Luistro said they have not yet received or reviewed the actual petition filed by the camp of Torreon.
“As with any legal pleading involving the institution, we will study it carefully once it is formally served, and we will respond through the proper legal processes,” Luistro said.
She emphasized, however, that the Constitution is “equally clear in vesting upon the House of Representatives the sole power to initiate impeachment cases,” a responsibility she said that they do not take lightly and are “duty bound to carry out faithfully.”
“The ongoing proceedings in the House Committee on Justice are part of this constitutional process. They are designed to determine whether probable cause exists — not to determine guilt, and not to conduct a trial. That function belongs to the Senate,” Luistro said.
She further reiterated that the hearings that are being undertaken are “anchored on due process, consistent with the Constitution, the Rules on Impeachment, and relevant jurisprudence.”
“The proceedings are open, orderly, and provide all parties the opportunity to be heard,” Luistro said.
Some members, meanwhile, described the move as a “diversionary tactic” designed to deflect from the proceedings.
Committee Vice Chairman and Manila Rep. Joel Chua said that the issues raised by Torreon’s camp are “mere hallucinations.”
“We followed the due process guidelines the Supreme Court meticulously laid out in its two decisions on the previous articles,” Chua said.
Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, meanwhile, said that the petition “will not stop the resolve of the House Committee on Justice to exact accountability for the serious allegations against [Vice President Duterte].”
“The subpoena of documents relevant to the grounds for impeachment is well within the authority of the House Committee on Justice under the 1987 Constitution and the House Rules on Impeachment, both of which expressly allow the conduct of hearings in aid of impeachment proceedings,” Ridon said.
Ridon added that neither the Constitution nor the Rules of Impeachment require that all evidence be attached to the complaint at the time of the filing.
“This includes the issuance of subpoenas covering the Vice President’s statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs), as well as tax, corporate, and banking records relating to the Duterte-Carpio couple and their business interests,” Ridon said.
He reiterated that their hearing is not a fishing expedition, stressing that the subpoenas will be complied with and that Duterte will be made accountable.
Meanwhile, Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima said that Duterte is “showing signs of desperation” in trying to evade accountability.
“May pa-’bloodbath, bloodbath’ pang sinasabi noon. Sa simpleng committee hearing nga ay takot na takot ngayon (She was warning of a bloodbath in the past, but she is scared of attending a simple committee hearing),” de Lima said.