MANILA — Several ranking members of the House of Representatives believe the weight of evidence presented against Vice President Sara Duterte has prompted Senate leadership to begin preparing for the possibility of an impeachment trial.
This development follows the House Committee on Justice’s finding of probable cause to impeach Duterte after conducting three clarificatory hearings on two impeachment complaints under its jurisdiction.
During the proceedings, lawmakers completed deliberations on allegations that Duterte had supposedly issued threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
After concluding the discussions, committee chairperson Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro entertained motions to formally establish probable cause.
Pinoy Workers party-list Rep. Franz Vincent Legazpi moved to declare the third complaint sufficient in form and substance, which was seconded and approved without objection.
To verify consensus, Luistro called for a nominal voting process, where 53 lawmakers voted in favor, with no opposition or abstentions recorded.
Legazpi subsequently moved for the fourth impeachment complaint to be similarly recognized, which also received unanimous approval from the panel.
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