House justice panel finds probable cause to impeach VP Sara Duterte

Via unanimous vote, the House committee on justice on Wednesday found probable cause to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte based on two impeachment complaints filed against her.

House justice panel chairperson and Batangas Second District Representative Gerville Luistro said no member of the panel registered an objection. A total of 53 members of the panel were present during the voting.

The House justice panel made the decision after four impeachment hearings revealed the following:

• Detainee Ramil Madriaga’s account of disbursing P125 million worth of confidential funds of the Vice President within 24 hours with cash deliveries in Laguna, Quezon City, and the Office of the Ombudsman
• Madriaga signing a bank secrecy waiver to prove that he has nothing to hide
• Madriaga alleging that the Vice President’s election campaign may have been financed by Pharmally which has been linked to anomalous government procurement 
• the Commission on Audit (COA) revealing that the notice of disallowance on P73 million in confidential funds in 2022 was upheld by the COA commission proper
• The NBI representatives testifying on signatures in the acknowledgment receipts of recipients of confidential funds
• COA’s Gloria Camora, a lawyer of COA’s Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office, confirming that COA also issued three notices of disallowance on three releases of confidential funds for the OVP in 2023 worth P125 million each or P375 million in total 
• the testimonies of various resource persons, regarding the “envelopes” and the questionable receipts, and other statements
• the Philippine Statistics Authority testifying that recipients of confidential funds, such as Mary Grace Piattos, Milky Secuya, and Kokoy Villamin do not have records in the country’s civil registry
• the Vice President not declaring any cash on hand or in bank under her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth from 2019 to 2024
• the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) report flagging P6.7 billion worth of bank transactions of the Vice President and her husband, Manases Carpio, as covered and suspicious transactions from 2006 to 2025, with inflow standing at P4.425 billion and outflow at P1.55 billion
• the AMLC report revealed that there is a derogatory record for the Vice President and her husband
• the AMLC report showing that Vice President was the subject of suspicion in 27 confidential reports dated August 2, 2024 to January 29, 2026 due to suspected activities involving drug trafficking and related offenses, graft and corrupt practices, and malversation of public funds and property in connection with the House Quad Committee hearing on former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, news reports alleging the involvement of the Vice President’s husband in the P6.4 billion shabu importation in 2017 and the news reports on the Vice President’s alleged misuse of confidential funds
• the AMLC report showing that her husband, Atty. Carpio, as subject of suspicion in 17 confidential reports from September 14, 2017 to April 25, 2025 due to suspected activities involving drug trafficking and related offenses, and malversation of public funds and property “in connection with the news reports on alleged his involvement in the PP6.4 billion shabu importation in 2017 and news articles in relation to his wife, VP Sara’s, alleged misuse of confidential/intelligence funds”
• the AMLC confirmation that at least 18 bank transactions linked to Vice President Sara Duterte and her family members, as cited in the affidavit of former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, match records of covered and suspicious transaction reports
• the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) findings that the video of a press conference showing Vice President Duterte making a threat to kill President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and his family members in certain circumstances constitutes inciting to sedition and three counts of grave threat, among others. 

"Hindi ito alegasyon lamang. Kung probable cause ang pag-uusapan, ito (mga ebidensiya) ay sobra-sobra pa," said House Senior Deputy Minority Leader Leila de Lima of ML party-list, a former Justice secretary.

(These are not mere allegations. As for probable cause, the pieces of evidence we heard are more than sufficient.)

"This [totality of revelations] is a red flag of the highest order," De Lima, one of the endorsers of the two impeachment complaints against the Vice President, added.

Luistro, for her part, said that the four days of impeachment hearings have been exhaustive enough, and the Vice President has refused to rebut the allegations despite repeated invitations from the panel. 

"We have provided so much due process already," Luistro said ahead of the voting. 

The two impeachment complaints filed against the Vice President accuse her of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, among others, mainly over the following acts: 

• alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential fund and using them as bribes 
• threatening to kill President Marcos, Jr. and his family, including her desire to remove the head of the Chief Executive, and 
• alleged accumulation of unexplained wealth. 

Not unexpected

In a statement sent by Atty. Michael Poa, spokesperson for Duterte’s defense team, the camp of the Vice President said it already expected the decision of the House panel. 

"The finding of probable cause by the House Committee on Justice was not unexpected, given the direction the proceedings had taken," the defense team said.

"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," it added. 

Successive knockdowns

But for Amando Ligutan, who is the counsel for the third impeachment or the Saballa complaint, the House justice panel deliberations that culminated in finding probable cause delivered devastating blows to the Vice President.

“This is the right thing to do. As a nation, we have that capacity to hold accountable even the second highest official of the land. Hindi pa tapos 'yung laban [The fight it not over]. We are just starting. Pero kung sa boxing [ito], parang first round, second round, third round, we got several knockdowns [here],” Ligutan said.

“Hindi po mga simpleng tao yung mga Duterte. Sila po ay mga simpleng bilyonaryo. [The Dutertes are not ordinary people. They are ordinary billionaires.] And so we are expecting to win this battle. We are expecting for the Articles of Impeachment to be transmitted to the Senate, so that the Senate can finally proceed forthwith to trial,” Ligutan added.

He said that aside from accumulating questionable amount of billions, the Vice President’s threat to the Vice President only made things worse for the second-highest ranked public official.

“It is not normal for a Vice President to threaten the life of the President, the First Lady and the former Speaker of the House. For that ground and only for me, the Vice President should not stay in office a minute longer,” Ligutan said.

“Hindi po normal yung isang Vice President na magsasabi ng public na gusto niyang pugutan ng ulo ang Pangulo. Let's return to normalcy,” he added.

(It is not normal for a Vice President to publicly say that she wants to cut off the head of the President.)

Ligutan was referring to the video wherein the Vice President said she was imagining of cutting the President’s head off for being toxic.

NBI Director Melvin Matibag, who testified during Wednesday’s proceedings concerning the agency’s findings on the videos of the Vice President making threats against the President, also said in a separate interview that an incumbent Vice President is not immune from facing a criminal case.

“Yes, a sitting Vice President can be charged. It is already settled in the case of Binay against Carpio-Morales,” Matibag said after his testimony.

He was referring to a 2016 Supreme Court decision allowing the Ombudsman to file criminal charges against the Vice President, provided that the Ombudsman will not exercise administrative sanctions concerning the same case.

“It’s not an ordinary threat. You have to look at the pattern of behavior. But we are still waiting on the Resolution of the Department of Justice [concerning our complaint],” Matibag said, referring to NBI’s preliminary findings of the Vice President actions falling under inciting to sedition and grave threat.

Consolidation

Meanwhile, the House panel moved to consolidate the two verified complaints under one Articles of Impeachment. It will also now produce a committee report to be furnished to Duterte, to the complainants and to the members of the committee.

The hearings will continue on May 4 at 10 a.m. at the People’s Center. —with Sundy Locus/AOL/RSJ/BM, GMA News