Solon: Impeachment hearing will move forward with or without Duterte
MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives’ committee on justice will proceed with its hearing on the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte regardless of whether she appears, Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro said late Tuesday night.
Luistro, the committee chairperson, said in a statement they received information that Duterte will not show up to the hearing scheduled on Wednesday, March 25 — despite invitations from the panel.
According to Luistro, Duterte’s camp is questioning the constitutionality of the proceedings.
READ: Impeachment complaints vs Sara Duterte sufficient in form — House
“We received information that the Vice President and her legal team will not be participating in tomorrow’s (Wednesday) formal hearing,” Luistro said.
“They are questioning the constitutionality of the proceedings, but the Committee on Justice is duty-bound to continue with its mandate under the Constitution,” she added.
“The hearing will proceed.”
Prior to Luistro’s statement, Michael Poa, spokesperson of Duterte’s legal team, confirmed that they have submitted a letter to the committee on justice stating that the Vice President will not attend the hearing.
Poa said that Duterte’s absence is “in light of the constitutional objections raised” by her team.
Earlier, Luistro said in an online interview that should Duterte skip the impeachment hearings, she runs the risk of losing her chance to convince lawmakers that the complaints against her lack probable cause.
If Duterte skips the hearing, Luistro said no one can counter the claims raised against her because only respondents will be given the chance to directly answer issues — noting that lawyers are only allowed to assist their clients, just like in any other congressional inquiry.
The committee on justice will start its formal hearing on the two remaining complaints against Duterte on Wednesday, March 25, after it previously declared the grounds in the raps as sufficient.
Two out of four complaints are still under the jurisdiction of the committee on justice, after the first complaint was set aside for allegedly violating the one-year bar rule, while the second was withdrawn by its petitioners.
All four complaints contained allegations that are similar to the botched impeachment attempt last February 2025 — from allegations of confidential fund misuse, threats against ranking officials, bribery of officials, and other possible violations of the 1987 Constitution.
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