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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider It's unanimous! House panel finds probable cause to impeach VP Duterte

It's unanimous! House panel finds probable cause to impeach VP Duterte

Published Apr 29, 2026 03:29 pm

At A Glance

  • The House Committee on Justice unanimously declares probable cause in two impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte, completing the requirements for endorsement to plenary.
  • The Saballa et al complaint and the Cabrera complaint both receive 53 votes in favor, with no objections, paving the way for consolidation and eventual transmission of articles of impeachment to the Senate.
  • Duterte faces allegations of misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds, false SALN declarations, unexplained wealth, and threats to the First Family, with the committee's report now set for plenary adoption that would trigger a Senate impeachment trial.
Vice President Sara Duterte (Facebook)
Vice President Sara Duterte (Facebook)
Vice President Sara Duterte has moved one step closer to being impeached by the House of Representatives for the second time in as many years.
This, after the House Committee on Justice unanimously declared on Wednesday, April 29 the existence of probable cause in the two active impeachment complaints this year against the second highest official of the land.
The probable cause declaration completes the trifecta of requirements that an impeachment complaint needs for it to be endorsed by the justice panel for adoption in plenary. The first two, in order, are sufficiency in form and sufficiency in substance.
Prospering in this regard are the Father Joel Saballa et al complaint endorsed by Senior Deputy Minority Leader Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, and the Nathaniel Cabrera complaint endorsed by Deputy Speaker La Union 1st district Rep. Paolo Ortega V and Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido "Benny" Abante Jr.
Pinoy Workers Party-list Rep. Franz Legazpi moved to declare the existence of probable cause in the Saballa et al complaint, and subsequently the Cabreba complaint.
In both instances, 53 justice panel members voted in favor of the declaration of probable cause.
Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro, justice committee chairperson, said nobody registered an objection to the two complaints. "That means that the motion is approved by unanimous," she said.
"The chair pronounces that the existence of probable cause has been declared with respect to both Saballa complaint and the Cabreba complaint," she said.
With this, Luistro will be presenting a committee report to the plenary wherein she will seek the adoption of its findings on the filed complaints.
An adoption will result to the Vice President's impeachment and the sending of the articles of impeachment to the Senate. The Senate is constitutionally mandated hold an impeachment trial against the lady official forthwith.
Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, endorser of the Saballa et al complaint,  moved to consolidate the two complaints into one following the voting.
Vice President Duterte was impeached for the first time on Feb. 5, 2025, during the tail end of the previous 19th Congress. That particular case didn't go through committee deliberations, but the equally-constitutional "fast track" method in House plenary.
Vice President Duterte's empty chair (House of Representatives)
Vice President Duterte's empty chair (House of Representatives)
The Supreme Court (SC) ultimately struck down the 2025 impeachment case against Duterte due to a technicality.
The controversial Vice President was a no-show during Wednesday's proceedings, as well as the three previous probable cause hearings last March 25, April 14, and April 22.
VP Sara in San Pedro
Before the voting, Laguna 1st district Rep. Ann Matibag shared to the committee that the Vice President attended an event in San Pedro, in her province.
"I would just like to manifest that I have received reports from our leaders from the city of San Pedro, province of Laguna that this morning, at around 9 a.m., the Vice President Sara Duterte is in the city of San Pedro celebrating with the Galleria South Vice Presidents of the Philippines Pop-Up exhibit...instead of being here, madam chair," Matibag said.
"Because they said it already," an unsuprised Luistro said, "They will be answering all the allegations not here, but before the Senate [impeachment trial]."
Vice President Duterte's impeachment is being sought over her offices' alleged misuse of P612.5 million worth of confidential funds; untruthful declarations in the filing of her statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth; unexplained wealth; and death threats to President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez.
Wednesday's hearing delved into the respondent's alleged threats to the First Family in November 2024 and acts of destabilization. National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag served as the main resource person.
The Luistro panel did not rush to voting after tackling the threats and destab allegations.
Two congressmen, Cagayan de Oro City 1st district Rep. Lordan Suan and 1-Rider Party-list Rep. Rodge Gutierrez, argued for the holding of one more hearing for the sake of due process and giving the Vice President one more opportunity to personally answer the allegations.
De Lima and the other endorser present, Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido "Benny" Abante Jr. opposed this suggestion and pushed for the voting to commence.
In her rejoinder, Luistro said: "I just want to state for the record that since day one of our impeachment proceedings, that is determination of sufficiency in form, followed by substance, and then grounds, and then our hearings today, we’ve been calling the Vice President every after presentation of evidence per ground."
"So in as far as compliance to due process is concerned, I think we have surpassed so much, whatever standard of due process is being required, ‘no? As a matter of fact even today, we’ve called her for four times already, and I intend to call her again, right before we vote on the existence or non-existence of probable cause. That is just for the record," added the lawyer-solon.

Related Tags

Impeachment Probable cause Sara Duterte Gerville \"Jinky Bitrics\" Luistro impeachment trial
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