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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Not a final judgment': Nazal says probable cause ruling doesn't equate to VP Duterte's guilt

'Not a final judgment': Nazal says probable cause ruling doesn't equate to VP Duterte's guilt

Published Apr 30, 2026 03:45 pm

At A Glance

  • Rep. Robert Nazal Jr. stresses that the House Justice Committee's finding of probable cause against Vice President Sara Duterte does not establish guilt, as the committee's role is limited and preliminary.
  • He explains that probable cause only determines whether there is enough basis for further inquiry, not liability or wrongdoing, and emphasizes adherence to constitutional principles.
  • The committee unanimously votes 53‑0 to declare probable cause in two impeachment complaints, which will be consolidated into articles of impeachment to be transmitted to the Senate for trial.
Bagong Henerasyon (BH) Party-list Rep. Robert Nazal Jr. (Facebook)
Bagong Henerasyon (BH) Party-list Rep. Robert Nazal Jr. (Facebook)


A congressman who has been defending Vice President Sara Duterte in the House Committee on Justice's impeachment hearings underscored on Thursday, April 30 that no guilt has been established in the proceedings so far.
Bagong Henerasyon (BH) Party-list Rep. Robert Nazal Jr. had this say after the justice panel chaired by Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro declared on Wednesday, April 29 that there was probable cause in the impeachment complaints against the Vice President
"Following the conclusion of the hearings before the Committee on Justice, and the Committee’s unanimous vote finding probable cause, it is necessary to return to first principles, because at moments like this, the strength of our institutions depends not on outcomes, but on how faithfully we adhere to the Constitution," Nazal said.
The assistant minority leader described the role of the Committee on Justice as "limited and preliminary".
"It is to determine sufficiency in form, sufficiency in substance, and the existence of probable cause. It is not a trial. It is not a final judgment. It is not a declaration of guilt," he underscored.
According to Nazal, a finding of probable cause, by definition, is a threshold determination.
"It merely answers whether there is enough basis to warrant further inquiry. It does not establish liability. It does not prove wrongdoing. It does not justify conclusions that properly belong only to a full and fair adjudication.
"Kaya malinaw na ang probable cause ay hindi katumbas ng kasalanan (That’s why it's clear that probable cause doesn't equate to guilt)," explained Nazal.
But Luistro and other justice panel members from the majority bloc have actually been echoing Nazal's points throughout most of the hearings--that it's not a full-on trial and is clarificatory only in nature.
That's why--particularly during the hearings held on the determination of probable cause last March 25, April 14, 22, and 29--Luistro consistently halted her colleagues from asking "probing" questions to the invited resource persons.
“During the clarificatory hearing of the justice committee, impartial tayo, independent tayo (we were impartial, we were independent) because we acted as investigators in a proceeding akin to a preliminary investigation,” Luistro said.
Under impeachment proceedings, only the Senate can hold an impeachment trial against the respondent. The respondent, in this case Duterte, will be tried based on the articles of impeachment that the House of Representativess will submit to the senators.
The justice committee unanimously voted 53‑0 (yes-no) to declare the existence of probable cause in the two active impeachment complaints against Duterte during Wednesday's hearing.
The articles of impeachment is expected to be fashioned out of these two complaints.

Related Tags

Robert Nazal Probable cause Impeachment Sara Duterte Gerville \"Jinky Bitrics\" Luistro
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