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Jose Rodel Clapano - The Philippine Star
March 28, 2026 | 12:00am
Vice President Sara Duterte.
STAR / File
MANILA, Philippines — Lawmakers yesterday slammed the camp of Vice President Sara Duterte over the filing of a petition in the Supreme Court seeking to halt the impeachment proceedings.
Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro, chairperson of the House committee on justice, rebutted renewed attacks on the impeachment, pointing out what she described as a glaring inconsistency in the position of Duterte’s camp.
“VP Sara is asking for due process. The Supreme Court ordered a hearing for due process. Now, there is a hearing, they are again questioning the hearing,” Luistro said.
She noted it was the Vice President’s own camp that earlier sought intervention from the SC on issues of due process in impeachment proceedings – an argument that ultimately underscored the need for hearings as part of procedural fairness.
Now that the House committee on justice has proceeded with what the Rules on Impeachment call a “hearing proper,” Luistro said the same camp is questioning the very process it previously invoked.
“What do they really want?” she asked.
By questioning the House hearings that were effectively reinforced by their own due process arguments before the SC, Luistro said the Vice President’s camp risks sending mixed signals to the public.
“We are not judging guilt. We are determining if there is probable cause to proceed to the Senate,” she said, adding that the Senate – sitting as an impeachment court – remains the sole body that can decide guilt or innocence.
Despite political tensions surrounding the impeachment, Luistro said the focus should remain on accountability and transparency.
“This accountability has something to do with the state of our country,” Luistro said.
De Lima: VP desperate
Vice President Duterte ran again to the SC because she is “desperate to evade” accountability, House senior minority leader Leila de Lima said yesterday.
“We have yet to see and read the full text of the petition, but whatever their arguments are, it is obvious that VP Sara is showing signs of desperation in trying to evade accountability (once again!) by not facing the impeachment proceedings,” she said.
Akbayan party-list Rep. Perci Cendaña said he is not surprised that Duterte’s lawyers again ran to the SC.
“Only the corrupt are afraid to face accountability,” he said. — Mark Ernest Villeza
