House subpoenas records in Duterte impeachment

By Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio, Reporter

A HOUSE of Representatives committee on Wednesday moved to compel government agencies to submit documents and ordered several witnesses to appear as impeachment proceedings against Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio entered the evidence-gathering stage.

The House Justice Committee issued subpoenas for Ms. Duterte’s statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) from 2007 to the present, as well as her tax records, corporate documents related to her business interests and a video recording in which she allegedly threatened President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.

The panel said the materials were needed to determine whether accusations against the Vice-President have sufficient basis to be elevated to the Senate.

Lawmakers also ordered the appearance of several witnesses, including a person alleged to have distributed cash for corrupt activities on Ms. Duterte’s behalf and an official from the Commission on Audit responsible for overseeing the use of confidential and intelligence funds.

Ms. Duterte did not attend the opening day of the proceedings. In a letter submitted to the committee and shared with reporters, her legal team argued that the House lacks jurisdiction to conduct what it described as “any form of trial” on impeachment complaints, insisting that such authority rests solely with the Senate.

Committee Chairman and Batangas Rep. Gerville R. Luistro rejected that argument, saying the process is a preliminary investigation meant to help lawmakers determine probable cause.

The impeachment proceedings come amid mounting political tension between Ms. Duterte and Mr. Marcos, her running mate in the 2022 elections.

The Vice-President, widely viewed as a potential contender for the 2028 presidential election, has been locked in a bitter feud with the President, raising the political stakes for both camps.

An earlier attempt by lawmakers allied with Mr. Marcos to impeach Ms. Duterte last year failed. With Mr. Marcos constitutionally barred from seeking reelection and yet to designate a successor, the renewed push against the Vice-President underscores intensifying maneuvering ahead of the next election cycle.

Ms. Duterte faces allegations consolidated in two impeachment complaints. If endorsed by at least 106 members of the House, the cases would move to the Senate for trial, where a conviction could remove her from office and permanently bar her from public service.

The charges advanced by the Justice committee last week include accusations that Ms. Duterte misused hundreds of millions of pesos in confidential and intelligence funds during her tenure as head of the Office of the Vice-President and earlier as secretary of Education.

She has also been accused of plotting to destabilize the Marcos administration and conspiring to assassinate the President, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and a former Speaker — claims that Ms. Duterte has flatly denied.

Additional allegations include amassing wealth disproportionate to her declared income over more than a decade in public service.

“These are not trivial matters,” Ms. Luistro said at the hearing. “They go to the very heart of public trust.”

Ahead of the proceedings, Ms. Duterte called on the committee to dismiss the complaints, labeling them a “fishing expedition” aimed at politicizing the impeachment process.

“The committee has nothing left to do but dismiss the complaints due to the obvious lack of evidence,” she said in a statement in Filipino.

Party-list Rep. Terry L. Ridon pushed back against that characterization, arguing that the complaints were supported by documentary evidence, including discrepancies in Ms. Duterte’s SALNs.

“This would just be a fishing expedition if we don’t start the proceedings with any documents,” he told the same briefing with Ms. Luistro in Filipino, alleging Ms. Duterte’s total net worth in 2024 did not match her income since 2007.

Ms. Duterte’s legal team reiterated that they would not participate in proceedings they consider unconstitutional. Lawyer Sheila C. Sison said the Vice President would not appear before the committee, arguing that impeachment trials are the Senate’s exclusive domain.

Ms. Luistro said the panel has clear constitutional authority to conduct the inquiry, adding that lawmakers would examine allegations individually and allow evidence and witnesses to be tested in the coming hearings.

The justice committee is set to resume proceedings on April 14, when it expects subpoenaed documents and witnesses to be presented.