No 'double standards' in House's handling of impeachment cases, says Luistro
At A Glance
- Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro has shot down claims that there are "double standards" in the House of Representatives when it comes to the handling of the impeachment cases against President Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte.
Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (PPAB, Facebook)
Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro has shot down claims that there are "double standards" in the House of Representatives when it comes to the handling of the impeachment cases against President Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte.
Luistro, justice panel chairperson, said in a radio interview that the differing outcomes in the two cases were based on the presence or absence of personal participation--a key element in establishing liability.
“I don’t think so,” Luistro said when asked about the alleged disparity in standards between the two impeachment cases pursued in the House this year.
Luistro noted that in the case against President Marcos, the complainants “failed to show the personal participation"; meanwhile, in the complaints lodged against Vice President Duterte, such participation was evident, she said.
“That (participation) is necessary for us to be able to establish the factual nexus, ‘yung (the) connection between the offense and the ground which is present doon sa impeachment complaint against the Vice President,” explained the Batangueña.
In particular, Luistro said that Vice President Duterte’s alleged death threat to President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez showed "very clear...personal participation".
Luistro recalled that the justice committee’s determination of sufficiency in form and in substance of the two remaining impeachment complaints was backed by two separate 54-1 (yes-no) votes.
She said this reflected what she described as the “exclusive judgment” of the panel members.
The impeachment raps lodged against President Marcos--taken up just weeks before the case against Duterte--were dismissed due to insufficiency in substance.