MANILA — The House of Representatives’ inquiry into the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte may conclude before the end of May, according to San Juan City Rep. Ysabel Zamora, vice chair of the House committee on justice.
MANILA, Philippines — As part of the impeachment proceedings, the House justice panel has issued subpoenas to National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag and lawyer Michael Poa.
Copies of the subpoena released on Thursday show that Matibag was directed to provide the committee with records related to the NBI’s investigation into Duterte’s alleged threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
The order, signed by Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro, chair of the committee, and Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III, requires Matibag to attend the hearing scheduled for April 14, 2026, at 10 a.m. at the People Center inside the House complex.
Meanwhile, Poa was instructed to present documents concerning the confidential fund submissions made by the Department of Education (DepEd) to the Commission on Audit (COA) during Duterte’s leadership of the agency.
According to the subpoena, Poa is expected to testify on matters linked to his service as DepEd chief of staff from 2022 to 2023, particularly the use and liquidation of the department’s confidential funds.
The controversy surrounding Duterte’s alleged threats traces back to statements she made during an online press briefing with reporters and vloggers on November 23, 2024.
The remarks were delivered after she visited her chief of staff, Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez, who was then detained within the House premises after being cited in contempt by the committee on good government and public accountability for alleged interference in an investigation into the misuse of confidential funds.
Instead of leaving the House compound after the visit, Duterte went to the office of her brother, Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, where she stayed for several hours, later saying she had only stopped by to deliver durian.
During the online briefing, Duterte claimed she had spoken with an assassin and instructed the person to kill Marcos, the first lady, and Romualdez should anything happen to her.
Earlier, Poa testified before the House committee on good government and public accountability, revealing that he occasionally received envelopes containing cash from Duterte and former DepEd assistant secretary Sunshine Fajarda.
Poa also said Duterte once rebuked him for spending his personal funds to assist individuals requesting help from the department.
The testimony followed disclosures that former DepEd undersecretary Gloria Mercado had received nine envelopes containing ₱50,000 each from Fajarda, who said the money came from Duterte. Mercado believed the envelopes were connected to her position as head of the department’s procurement entity.
During an October 2024 hearing, Poa also told lawmakers that Duterte had direct authority over DepEd’s confidential funds.
Legislators earlier raised concerns after it appeared that DepEd reported using its confidential funds for a youth training program, even though most of the program’s expenses were reportedly covered by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and local government units.
Four impeachment complaints were initially filed against Duterte, but only two remain under the jurisdiction of the House justice panel. The first was dismissed for violating the constitutional one-year bar rule, while the second was withdrawn by its petitioners.
On March 4, the committee determined that the remaining complaints were sufficient in substance and formally notified Duterte, giving her 10 days to submit her answer.
The vice president filed her response on March 16. However, complainants behind the third and fourth impeachment complaints waived their right to reply, saying Duterte’s consolidated verified answer ad cautelam did not directly address the allegations.
Because of this waiver, the committee proceeded directly to determining whether sufficient grounds existed in the complaints, accelerating the impeachment process.
After ruling that sufficient grounds were present, the panel moved to conduct full hearings. On March 25, lawmakers approved motions to subpoena key witnesses and obtain documents that could support the impeachment case.
The House also confirmed that Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla had been ordered to appear before the committee and present Duterte’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) during the April 14 hearing.
In addition, Duterte’s former aide Ramil Madriaga was also summoned, as he is believed to possess information that could connect the vice president to the alleged misuse of confidential funds.
ia/xf
