By Pexcel John Bacon again Erika Mae P. Sinaking, A reporter
The Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives on Monday unanimously approved the report and resolution containing the articles of impeachment of Vice-President (VP) Sara Duterte-Carpio, bringing the case closer to trial and Senate trial.
All 55 committee members present voted for the report, which formalizes the charges and raises the appeal to the full House.
“Let it be on record that Justices are 55 out of 55 [committee] the members present showed their support for the approval of the report of the committee… setting the case as amended,” Batangas Rep. Gerville R. Luistro told the case.
Ms. Luistro, who was in charge of the trial, defended the integrity of the program, saying that the team complies with the requirements of the constitution.
“We followed the Constitution,” he said in Filipino. “We didn’t rush, we didn’t take shortcuts.”
The committee began hearings on March 2, and after two months of hearings, voted on April 29 to find probable cause to impeach the Vice President.
Lawmakers reviewed materials during the hearing, including sworn testimony, audit findings and financial records. This includes reports from the Audit Commission and flagged transactions identified by the Anti-Money Laundering Council.
Central to the impeachment documents are allegations of misappropriation and illegal liquidation of private funds. Lawmakers revealed at least P500 million in questionable expenses under the Office of the Vice President and an additional P112.5 million linked to the Department of Education during Mrs. Duterte’s tenure as its head.
The complaint also includes allegations of unexplained wealth and discrepancies in his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs). Lawmakers also cited allegations of threats against President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. as part of the cases.
Ms. Luistro said the process is difficult but she is still focused.
“Of course we had our good and bad situations… “We didn’t get lost.
Upon approval of the committee’s report, the impeachment petition will be taken to the House for debate and vote.
Party list attorney Terry L. Ridon said the hearings could begin as early as this week, and a vote is expected soon.
“We will go to a panel meeting this week. The first one is tomorrow, and we will vote on it next week,” said Mr. Ridon told reporters in mixed English and Filipino.
He expressed confidence that the petition will receive the necessary support in the House, noting that supporters expect to meet or exceed the one-third vote threshold needed to move the case to the Senate.
“We expect that the Vice President will be demoted, so 106 is certain,” he said. “It’s just a question of how many votes we will get,” he added, referring to the minimum number of votes required under the Constitution.
Mr. Ridon also said that the supporters are aiming to match or exceed the number of votes in the previous proceedings of the trial.
The committee’s unanimous vote may not reflect the outcome at the federal level, where broader political factors can shape the decision, said Eric Daniel De Torres, a political science professor at the University of the East. BusinessWorld.
“A majority vote may indicate a strong basis for an impeachment complaint, or it may not reflect the totality of the forum’s votes, especially on questions about the credibility of witnesses,” he said via Facebook Messenger.
He also added that political considerations before the 2028 election could influence how the legislature votes.
Under the 1987 Constitution, at least one-third of congressmen must approve an impeachment complaint to be sent to the Senate, which then meets as an impeachment court.
Jaime B. Naval, a political science professor at the University of the Philippines, said unanimous approval is a strong indicator but not the final indicator of the outcome.
“A unanimous vote in the Judiciary committee is a strong opening sign — but not a final decision,” he said via Messenger, adding that coalitions, public opinion and regional pressures could shape the final vote.
‘LIES ALWAYS’
Meanwhile, the lawyers of Manases R. Carpio, who is the husband of the Vice President, dismissed the allegations that he has R6.7 billion in bank deposits, calling this figure “blatant lies”.
Lawyers Peter Paul L. Danao and Harlin Neil J. Abayon III said the amount was based on what they described as misleading accounting methods and a bank error, although they declined to disclose the actual balance of their client’s accounts.
“Atty. Carpio said the P6 billion is false and false,” said Mr. Danao told a forum broadcast live in Quezon City. “He doesn’t have that kind of money.”
He said the figure appears to be derived from the cumulative number of transactions over time, including deposits and withdrawals, rather than the actual account balance.
Mr. Abayon added that the reported figures also failed to account for a system error previously acknowledged by the bank.
“There was a P2-billion error that came in, they corrected it, so it was released,” he said.
The legal team said a clarification letter from the Bank of the Philippine Islands showed that the P2-billion transaction mentioned in the trial was actually P2 million.
They argued that lawmakers relied on unverified figures during the trial and that including Mr. Carpio’s trial amounted to “special justice” and violated privacy rights.
Mr. Carpio filed a criminal complaint before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office against the people involved in the disclosure of his bank records, citing violations of the Bank Secrecy Act, the Anti-Money Laundering Act and the Data Privacy Act.
