Sara Duterte’s SALNs as Davao City exec ‘irrelevant’ to impeachment –lawyer

The Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Networth (SALNs) of Vice President Sara Duterte during her tenure as mayor and vice mayor in Davao City are not relevant to the ongoing impeachment proceedings, Atty. Michael Poa said Monday.

Poa, spokesperson for Duterte’s defense team, said this after the House committee on justice voted in favor of issuing a subpoena duces tecum to the Office of the Ombudsman for the submission of Duterte’s SALNs in the following years:

• 2007 to 2013;
• 2016 to 2022; and
• 2022 to 2024

Duterte served as Davao City vice mayor from 2007 to 2010, and as mayor for three terms: 2010 to 2013; 2016 to 2019; and 2019 to 2022. She was elected as Vice President in 2022. 

“If you were to ask for SALNs of the Vice President from 2007 to 2024 [or] 2025, I'm not even sure. Kung gano’n, ‘di ba (if that’s the case, it’s) very clear naman sa ating (on the) Supreme Court decision na ang (that an) impeachable offense or offenses allegedly committed while in office as an impeachable officer,” Poa said in an interview on Unang Balita. 

“So para sa atin, ‘yung 2007 onwards, ‘yung mayor pa siya or vice mayor, that is irrelevant already,” he added. 

(So for us, the Vice President’s SALNs from 2007 onwards, when she was mayor or vice mayor, that is irrelevant already.) 

In determining the due process requirements in impeachment proceedings, the Supreme Court has said that "the basis of any charge must be for impeachable acts or omissions committed in relation to their office and during the current term of the impeachable officer."

As for the President and Vice President, the High Court said these acts must be sufficiently grave amounting to the crimes described in Article XI, Section 2 or a betrayal of public trust given by the majority of the electorate.

Poa emphasized that during the House committee hearings, lawmakers should only determine probable cause, and not conduct a trial of their own, as that power exclusively belongs to the Senate. 

“Our position is…to determine probable cause. For example, you have to just look at the complaints, the allegations stated therein and the attached evidence,” he said. 

“So sa pananaw namin (in our view), going beyond that, that's no longer just simply determination of probable cause,” he added. 

Nevertheless, Poa said that the defense team respects the opinion of the House committee members on the matter. 

Last Thursday, the Office of the Ombudsman committed to complying with the House committee on justice’s subpoena for documents requiring the submission of Duterte’s SALNs covering all her years in public office.

The House committee on justice formally began the hearings on the impeachment complaints against Duterte last week. This was reached after the panel found the two impeachment complaints sufficient in form, substance, and grounds.

The impeachment complaints mainly accuse the Vice President of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, among others, over the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds, and threatening to kill President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and his family. —AOL, GMA Integrated News