Probable cause to impeach VP Sara exists, several House justice panel members say

Several members of the House committee on justice believe that there is probable cause to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte on allegations of misuse of confidential funds.

The lawmakers said the pronouncement of the Commission on Audit that the Notice of Disallowance for the P73 million confidential fund of the Office of the Vice President in 2022 has been affirmed, as well as the Notices of Disallowance for the confidential funds in the first, second, and third quarter of 2023 have been issued are strong bases to bring the impeachment to the Senate.

"The determination of probable cause will depend on the exclusive judgment of the Justice members," justice committee chairperson Rep Gerville Luistro said in an online interview Wednesday.

"But of course, considering the denial of the appeal in P73 million (case) and the issuance of the Notice of Disallowance in the first, second and third quarters of 2023 of the OVP confidential fund, there is a possibility that this will be considered by the Justice members to say that there is probable cause already," she added.

Justice panel member Rep. Terry Ridon said the finding of probable cause based on the confidential fund misuse was established on Tuesday's hearing.

"Una, mabigat ho talaga yung finality ng COA finding kung saan pinapasoli na mismo ang ating pangalawang pangulo ng P73 million doon sa 2022 confidential funds dahil sa maling paggamit. Pangalawa, yun pong bagong Notice of Disallowance para doon sa 2023 confidential funds ng OVP," Ridon said

(First, the finality of the Commission on Audit (COA) finding carries significant weight, as it already orders our Vice President to return P73 million from the 2022 confidential funds due to improper use. Second, there is also the new Notice of Disallowance concerning the OVP’s 2023 confidential funds.)

They also said that the pronouncements of Ramil Madriaga, who claimed to be the vice president's former aide and alleged bagman, also carry weight.

"Considering that it is only probable cause that is being required of the Justice Committee to be able to transmit this to the plenary and from plenary to the Senate, if this can't be rebutted or countered, there is really a possibility that this testimony of Madriaga will suffice the requirement of probable cause," Luistro said.

"Yun pong testimonya ni Ramil Madriaga kung saan sinasabi niya na meron siyang ginawang pagtanggap at pag-deliver ng duffel bags sa tatlong separate locations supposedly containing cash from confidential funds, itong lahat ng ito, magiging mabigat na batayan para masabi natin na meron pong probable cause to impeach the vice president on the basis of confidential funds," Ridon stated.

(The testimony of Ramil Madriaga, in which he stated that he received and delivered duffel bags to three separate locations—supposedly containing cash from confidential funds—will serve as a strong basis for establishing probable cause to impeach the Vice President on grounds related to the use of confidential funds.)

Ridon also cited the findings of the House committee on good government and public accountability on the confidential funds issue, as well as the findings of the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine Statistics Authority on the fictitious recipients of confidential funds.

Meanwhile, another panel member, Rep. Joel Chua, said, "Kung kahapon magbobotohan na kami, ako personally, boboto ako for probable cause."

(If we had voted yesterday, I personally would have voted in favor of finding probable cause.) —LDF, GMA News