May 4, 2026
MANILA – Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro on Sunday said the House justice committee she heads will adopt its report finding probable cause to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte and send the charges to the floor on Monday for debate.
“This committee has completed its constitutional duty to determine probable cause based on the evidence presented,” Luistro said.
The 39-member justice committee last week found probable cause on the complaints seeking Duterte’s ouster, drawing up a case built on allegations of corruption and constitutional violations that could affect her prospects as a presidential contender.
READ: Panel finds ‘probable cause’ to impeach Sara Duterte
In a unanimous vote, 53 lawmakers decided the charges leveled against Duterte were backed by sufficient evidence, based on documents and testimonies presented in a series of hearings over the past three weeks.
“We are dealing with official records — not opinions, not speculation,” Luistro said. “These are numbers, documents, and sworn testimonies that, taken together, establish a pattern that demands accountability.”
Testimony from witnesses and financial records presented since early April have bolstered the accusations of wrongdoing against Duterte, including sworn statements from a former campaign supporter who claimed that he served as her “bagman” who delivered bags of cash to several recipients as a way of returning favors.
The justice committee also received reports from the Commission on Audit that flagged the way she had spent the funds as vice president and as education secretary, a post she held from 2022 to 2024.
The committee was also shown a report of bank transactions showing billions of pesos flowing through her accounts that did not match her annual declared wealth.
Luistro said the panel’s decision to support the charges against Duterte “is not about politics.” Duterte had previously claimed the impeachment effort against her was politically motivated.
“This is about the Constitution, about evidence, and about our duty to uphold public accountability,” Luistro said. “The House will now act as one body on this matter.”
READ: Ridon: Sara Duterte expected to be impeached within 2 weeks
At least 106 lawmakers must vote in favor of the complaints before they can be transmitted to the Senate, which will sit as an impeachment court. A conviction there could remove Duterte from office and bar her from holding public posts again.
Impeachment efforts against Duterte come amid her bitter feud with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., whom she ran on a joint ticket in the 2022 elections that led to a landslide victory driven by their families’ political prominence.
Duterte has emerged as an early favorite in initial presidential surveys, as Marcos has yet to anoint a successor for the 2028 election. /mcm