Hearing on VP impeach complaints may be aired live

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March 20, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines —   The next House hearing on the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte may become the first full live public airing of the initial evidence behind the complaints, Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua said yesterday.

Chua said that the committee stage can now do more than screen pleadings and procedural issues.

The House committee on justice on March 18 found the complaints sufficient in grounds and scheduled the hearings on March 25, and April 14, 22 and 29.

Chua said the current process before the House committee on justice allows the presentation and discussion of evidence even before the case reaches the Senate for trial.

He noted that unlike previous expectations that evidence would largely be presented during the Senate trial, the House proceedings now provide a venue for laying out the factual basis of the complaint at an earlier stage.

House committee on justice chairman Rep. Gerville Luistro yesterday said that Duterte’s absence in the next phase of the impeachment proceedings could leave the allegations against her unchallenged and hasten the case’s transmission to the Senate if no counter-evidence is presented.

Luistro told ANC yesterday that the committee on justice is taking a “very conservative” and rules-based approach in handling the impeachment complaints against Duterte to ensure the process is thorough, fair and able to withstand scrutiny.

Meanwhile, Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre asked Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco yesterday to stop misleading the public, in reaction to the latter’s claims that congressmen signed the impeachment complaint against Duterte in exchange for aid and infrastructure funds allocations.