MANILA, Philippines — Voting 38-6, the justice committee at the House of Representatives decided against opening the boxes that contained the Income Tax Returns (ITRs) of Vice President Sara Duterte and her husband, Manases Carpio.
The committee had subpoenaed the ITRs for its hearing on the impeachment complaints against the vice president but decided to leave the boxes unopened until it has determined whether there was probable cause to impeach Duterte.
The vice president was a no show again at the resumption of the deliberations on the two impeachment complaints against her at the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
Despite this, the Committee on Justice directed its secretariat to call Duterte's name "to extend to her the continuing opportunity to present her evidence, including counter-evidence and clarificatory questions through the Justice members," said Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville Luistro, the committee chairman.
The committee is conducting the hearing to determine whether there is probable cause to impeach Duterte.
The committee was set to tackle her kill" remarks against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and two others.
The complaint filed by several people, including clergy, alleged that she committed culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayed public trust and committed high crimes "in contracting to murder or assassinate" the president, first lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and former speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez. The complaint cited a Nov. 23, 2024 briefing with the media wherein 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 have spoken to someone. I told him that if I were killed, to kill BBM, Liza Araneta and Martin Romualdez)." BBM is the monicker for Bongbong Marcos.
Duterte denied making the threat.
The other complaint, filed by lawyer Nathaniel Cabrera, alleged that she "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".
Duterte 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," it read.
The complaint filed by clergy and several others also alleged that Duterte betrayed public trust over alleged unexplained wealth.
It also alleged that she committed culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayed 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 she led as secretary before she resigned in 2024 from that post.
Cabrera's complaint 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.
"Absent any statement of ultimate facts in any of these Impeachment Complaints, there is nothing for respondent to answer. Respondent thus only admits averments therein insofar as they allege her election, assumption to the Office of the Vice President, appointment as Secretary of Education, and her prior offices as Mayor and Vice Mayor of Davao City," Duterte countered.
"The rest of the allegations, including the annexes and so-called evidence attached to the Impeachment Complaints, are specifically denied for being false, misleading, impertinent, and mere conclusions of fact and law," it read.
Under the 1987 Constitution, only the House has the power to initiate impeachment cases and only the Senate can conduct an impeachment trial.
Luistro has said that what the hearing was not a trial. In a press conference, she said that "this hearing, clarificatory hearing, is intended for the determination of probable cause, not for the purpose of determining the guilt or innocence of the respondent."
