1 week ago
10
Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!
Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.
Visit Suniway.ph to learn
Vice President Sara Duterte holds a press conference at the Office of the Vice President in Mandaluyong City on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, days after the House of Representatives moved to impeach her.
Philstar.com / Martin Ramos
MANILA, Philippines — The grounds for the third and fourth impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte have been declared sufficient by the House Committee on Justice on Wednesday, March 18.
This means that the House Committee will proceed with hearings on the impeachment complaint against Duterte, which are set for March 25, according to Justice Committee Chairperson Rep. Gerville Luistro (Batangas 2nd District).
The next hearing is set to examine the pieces of evidence, witnesses, and memoranda, according to the House Rules on impeachment proceedings.
The House committee formally recognized the sufficiency of the third and fourth impeachment complaints following motions from Senior Deputy Majority Leader Lorenz Defensor and Deputy Speaker Janette Garin.
Luistro then declared the grounds sufficient after the motions were seconded without objection.
Several lawmakers have also condemned Duterte’s “non-answer” to the allegations against her.
RELATED: 'Non-answer': Solons hit Sara Duterte reply to impeach raps
Due to this, Rep. Leila de Lima (Mamamayang Liberal), the endorser of the third impeachment complaint, said that the complainants have filed a manifestation of waiver to file a reply.
“After a careful study of the Consolidated Verified Answer Ad Cautelam, complainants in the 3rd/the Saballa, et al impeachment are of the position, concurred in by this Representation, that the same failed to controvert the material allegations set forth in the complaint. The Consolidated Verified Answer does not specifically address the allegations raised in the complaint,” De Lima’s statement read.
“Since the Answer does not specifically traverse the material allegations nor provide a substantive counter-version of the facts, there is nothing new for the complainants to respond to. For these reasons, complainants deem it unnecessary to file a Reply,” she added.
It can be recalled that the Justice committee declared the impeachment complaints against Duterte sufficient in substance on March 4.
The House Committee on Justice is currently handling two out of four impeachment complaints, following the dismissal of the first over the one-year bar rule and the withdrawal of the second by its sponsors.
These complaints reiterate allegations from a previous 2025 attempt, including the alleged misuse of confidential funds, bribery, and culpable violations of the 1987 Constitution.
