House Justice Committee Begins Formal Impeachment Hearings Vs. VP Sara Duterte

Duterte skips proceedings; slams 'political fishing expedition'

MANILA, Philippines — The House Committee on Justice on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, officially commenced its formal hearing proper on the two remaining impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte, marking a critical escalation in the months-long political saga.

The Vice President, however, was a notable absentee, choosing instead to address the nation through a strongly-worded press statement where she labeled the entire process as a politically-motivated attack aimed at creating a negative media narrative against her.

In her absence, the committee, led by Batangas 2nd District Representative Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro, moved forward with the initial stages of the hearing, including the approval of subpoenas for key evidence and witnesses.

Subpoenas Issued for SALNs, Threat Probe Records, and Star Witness

Early in the proceedings, the panel approved separate motions to issue subpoena duces tecum (to produce documents) for several critical items.

Specifically, the committee is summoning certified true copies of Vice President Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs) covering the years 2007 to 2013, 2016 to 2022, and 2022 to 2025. This request aligns with allegations of unexplained wealth contained in the fourth impeachment complaint, which Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon noted showed her net worth rose by over 1,000 percent from 2008 to 2024.

Additionally, a subpoena was authorized for all records of the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) probe into the distinct, public threats made by the Vice President against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, in the event of her own death.

The committee also took a significant step by approving a subpoena for Ramil Lagunoy Madriaga, a former aide of the Vice President who is considered a key witness, along with his sworn affidavit. Madriaga has alleged he was involved in transporting large sums of confidential funds.

Debate Over Jurisdictional Scope

A point of order was raised by Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte, the Vice President's brother, who sought clarification on the scope of the investigation. He questioned whether the committee should be allowed to probe actions taken by his sister during her tenure as Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary, given that the complaint is against her in her current capacity as Vice President.

Former Senator Leila de Lima, now representing the Mamamayang Liberal Party-list and an endorser of one of the complaints, rebuffed this argument, stating that Duterte’s concurrent role did not create two separate legal personae.

"You know, she was occupying the DepEd secretary portfolio in her concurrent capacity as vice president. Now you don't distinguish the actions made, especially the anomalous actions, the impeachable offenses made, because it's with and pertains to the Department of Education," de Lima said.

"Just to explain it further, what if the Vice President kills someone, it doesn't say it's in relation to (either) the Vice President and as DepEd (head), but that happens, that crime happens during her incumbency as Vice President. She may have two hands, as VP and as DepEd (head), but there's only one brain, she has one persona," she added.

Rep. Luistro reiterated the committee's specific objective at this stage: determining probable cause.

"Let us always be reminded that our parameter in our hearing proper is the determination of probable cause only, which means the justification to be able to proceed to trial," Luistro emphasized in her opening remarks. "We are not yet determining the guilt, we are not holding trial. This is just a clarificatory hearing."

Sara Duterte: 'Prioritizing Politics Over Public Woes'

Vice President Duterte’s decision to skip the hearing was accompanied by a defiant statement where she accused the House panel of pursuing a "fishing expedition" and a "media narrative" to destroy her, rather than addressing pressing national issues like inflation.

“Ang imbitasyon na dumalo sa pagdinig ng Committee on Justice ay tila ginagamit upang makabuo ng isang media narrative na magkakaroon ng 'mini-trial,' batay sa umano'y hindi ko pagsagot at hindi pagdalo,” she said in her statement.

“Sa ganitong paraan, ginagamit ang mga pagdinig upang makapagsagawa na naman ang House of Representatives ng ikatlong fishing expedition laban sa akin.Muli, inuuna ang politika kaysa sa kapakanan ng milyon-milyong Pilipino na hirap na hirap dahil sa mahal na bilihin,” she added.

Duterte further stated that there is no rule requiring the personal attendance of the respondent and that she has already submitted her formal Answer ad Cautelam.

Legal Team Calls Proceedings 'Unconstitutional'

The Vice President's legal counsel also expressed grave concern over the nature of the proceedings, suggesting they have devolved into an illegal trial. In a letter to the committee, the defense team, including Atty. Shiela Sison, cited Rep. Luistro's previous use of the term "mini-trial" to describe the hearing, despite her later clarification that it was only meant to distinguish it from a full Senate trial.

“Under these circumstances and considering the public statements made by the chairperson, it appears that the committee intends to conduct trial,” the lawyers wrote, arguing this approach is unconstitutional as only the Senate has the sole power to try and decide all cases of impeachment.

The hearing proper is set to continue as the committee awaits the submission of the subpoenaed documents and the appearance of the summoned witnesses.