Metro Manila, Philippines — In a unanimous vote, the House justice committee found probable cause for the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte to proceed to the next stage, as it concluded the hearings on Wednesday, April 29.
Lawmakers separately voted on the complaints, with 53 members voting in favor of declaring probable cause.
The 53 affirmative votes are half of the required 106 votes — one-third of the 318 House members — for the case to reach the Senate, sitting as an impeachment court.
The panel will next submit a committee report to plenary, which will decide whether or not to impeach the vice president and send the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate for trial.
House justice committee chairperson Jinky Luistro said the report and Articles of Impeachment will be provided to the complainants, Duterte, and panel members.
She also scheduled the next hearing for May 4.
Luistro earlier told NewsWatch Plus that she intends to submit the committee report on May 4 when session resumes.
She noted that the earliest the plenary can vote on whether to send the complaints to the Senate for trial is May 11, to give lawmakers at least a week to review the case.
Duterte is facing two impeachment suits for alleged betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, and other high crimes, over allegations of fund misuse, threats against the presidential family, and unexplained wealth.
The vice president and her defense team skipped the proceedings, in line with their petition before the Supreme Court challenging the legality of the hearings over alleged constitutional flaws.
Instead of attending the hearings, Duterte chose to issue press statements, as her defense team vowed to face the Senate impeachment court.
In a statement, Duterte’s defense team said the decision was expected.
“We respectfully maintain that the proceedings before the Committee departed from the constitutional design. Instead of confining itself to the verified complaints and their attachments, the process expanded into matters that properly belong to a full trial,” the vice president’s lawyers said.
