The House Committee on Justice has seen and heard enough to declare the existence of probable cause in the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte.

Veteran litigator lawyer Lorna Kapunan had this to say Friday, April 24, particularly after resource persons in the latest justice committee hearing highlighted the discrepancies between Vice President Duterte's declared wealth in her statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth and the bank transactions flagged by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).

"Na-meet na ng House Committee on Justice ‘yung target nila na (The House Committee on Justice has met its target) to prove probable cause, that a crime was committed, that a violation of law was committed, and that the Vice President is probably guilty thereof)," Kapunan said in an interview with DZMM Teleradyo.

She noted, however, that the existence of probable cause doesn't equate to guilt; that is for the Senate impeachment court to decide.

Once the House justice panel declares there's probable cause in Vice President Duterte's impeachment case, it will report its findings out to the plenary. The plenary would then vote to adopt these findings and effectively impeach the lady official.

Meanwhile, Kapunan warned the public not to be swayed by the Vice President's press releases, her defense team, or online trolls seeking to discredit the non-disclosure findings in Duterte's Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNS) and the Anti-Money Laundering Council's (AMLC) report. No spin can change what is already on official record, she added.

“Siguro naman sa dami ng ebidensya, follow the numbers. Huwag tayong maniwala sa mga press release, sa mga trolls, sa mga statements outside the Committee on Justice. Maniwala tayo sa numbers. Let the numbers speak for themselves,” she said.

(Surely, with the abundance of evidence, we must follow the numbers. Let us not be swayed by press releases, by trolls, or by statements outside the Committee on Justice. Let us believe in the numbers. Let the numbers speak for themselves.)

“Hindi ito gawa-gawa ng Committee on Justice. Ito po ay official records ng government agencies, ng Ombudsman para sa SALN, ng AMLC para sa reporting on suspicious and covered transactions, ng SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) ng mga companies ng vice president at ng kanyang asawa na si Atty. Mans Carpio,” added the lawyer.

(This is not fabricated by the Committee on Justice. These are official records from government agencies: from the Ombudsman regarding the SALN, from the AMLC concerning suspicious and covered transactions, from the SEC regarding the companies of the vice president and his spouse, Atty. Mans Carpio.)

Kapunan explained that the justice panel has already laid out sworn testimonies and documentary evidence during the hearings that critics cannot simply dismiss as mere opinion. The records, she stressed, speak for themselves and raise legitimate questions that cannot be ignored.

“So these are records, they don't lie. Kung litigation ang pinag-uusapan natin, nandyan na ang hard evidence, documentary from official sources. Hindi pwedeng sabihin na opinyon ‘yan.

(If we are talking about litigation, the hard evidence is already there—documentary proof from official sources. It cannot be dismissed as mere opinion.)

"This is not opinion. This is not hearsay. These are documents,” Kapunan underscored.

During the April 22 hearing, justice committee members uncovered an elevenfold jump in Vice President Duterte's net worth, from P7.2 million in 2007 to P88.4 million in 2024.

Despite the dramatic surge, it also found that she had failed to report her cash on hand and bank deposits under personal assets in her SALNs for six consecutive years from 2019 to 2024.

Meanwhile, the AMLC reported to the justice panel that over 600 transactions worth almost P6.8 billion from Duterte and her husband's bank accounts had been flagged as covered or suspicious from 2006 to 2025.

The council also confirmed that 18 of the bank transaction entries former senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV presented matched its own records on the same dates and amounts. These included the P22 million Duterte had allegedly received from Samuel “Sammy” Uy, a purported drug lord and close business associate of the Duterte family.

For Kapunan, the committee has given the Vice President ample opportunity to address the allegations and defend herself—first through the answer ad cautelam, and second through the hearings where she would be under oath.

Instead, she said, the defense team filed a non-answer and Duterte continues to shun the hearings, even after she herself pleaded for due process before the Supreme Court during the first impeachment bid.

“Unang-una, nung binigyan sila ng opportunity to give their side sa House through an answer, nag-file sila ng non-answer. Nang magkaroon ng due process, nasundan ng House committee ang decision ng Supreme Court (SC) every step of the way. Bigyan daw ng kopya, binigyan ng kopya ng complaint,” Kapunan said.

(First of all, when they were given the opportunity to present their side in the House through an answer, they filed a non-answer. When due process was observed, the House committee followed the SC''s decision every step of the way. They were told to be given a copy, and indeed a copy of the complaint was provided.)

“Bigyan daw ng opportunity to be heard, nanonotice na natin na dito sa hearing, ang kausap ng committee, empty chair (They were told to be given the opportunity to be heard, yet we notice here in the hearing that the committee is speaking to an empty chair). You cannot talk to an empty chair,” she said.

Vice President Duterte's impeachment is being sought--among other reasons--for her alleged unexplained wealth and discrepancies in her SALN.