Luistro insists House justice panel mandated to hear impeach raps vs VP Sara

Batangas Representative Gerville Luistro insisted Friday that it is within the mandate of the House committee on justice to conduct a hearing and subpoena documents and witnesses to determine probable cause in the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte. 

Duterte and her lawyers earlier said the committee cannot conduct a "mini trial" as it lacks jurisdiction.

"If we are mandated to determine the existence of probable cause, how else are we going to do this? If we will not conduct a hearing proper, if we will not conduct a clarificatory hearing, if we will not ask questions from the witnesses, if we will not issue subpoena duces tecum and ad testificandum, ano ang magiging basis natin ng determination ng probable cause? If we will not do that, manghuhula ba tayo? That's what they're asking," Luistro, who chairs the House panel, said in an online interview.

"Medyo nakakapagtaka lang kasi kung noon ang reklamo nila, walang proceedings, hindi na-verify ang mga ebidensya and that is why we were declared unconstitutional. Ngayon, may hearing proper, may clarificatory hearing, we're giving due process to the respondent, pinasagot natin siya through her answer, we're giving her all the opportunity to present her evidence pero may reklamo pa rin!" she added.

The legislator emphasized that the House justice committee is strictly following the Rules on Impeachment, the Constitution, and the recent decision of the Supreme Court on the 2025 Duterte impeachment.

She also said the House panel's clarificatory hearing is meant to check the veracity of documents and statements of witnesses.

"Hindi naman lahat ng in-offer na evidence ng complainant are accepted with gospel truth. No! The purpose of this hearing proper is to check, to test the veracity of the allegations in the complaint, of the affidavits, including the evidence which will be presented in support of the allegations in the complaint," Luistro explained.

She said the Vice President can file any petition before the Supreme Court at any time during the House committee on justice's proceedings but the hearing will continue absent any temporary restraining order from the High Tribunal.

"Actually, it is their prerogative. And at any point in time of our impeachment proceeding, they can go to the Supreme Court. But the thing is, may basis ba for the issuance of TRO? May basis pa to grant the petition?" Luistro said.

"Now, we are following what the Supreme Court said in the decision of 2025. As a matter of fact, na-discuss na doon ang Section 7, which pertains to hearing proper, issuance of subpoena, examination and cross-examination of the witnesses, and these were upheld by the Constitution," she added.

Luistro said the Vice President and her lawyers should also not make an issue of the term "mini trial" to describe the committee proceedings.

"There should not be an issue because the purpose of having used the term mini-trial is just to guide the ordinary Filipino people that ours in the Justice Committee is a small proceeding as compared to the trial in the Senate na napapanood nila during the time of the impeachment trial of President Erap, of CJ Corona, no?" the lawmaker said.

"We do not judge the proceeding based on the name. We do not judge the proceeding based on the label. We judge the proceeding on the basis of the actions which are being taken by the justice members in the Justice Committee," she added.—AOL, GMA Integrated News