House Committee on Justice chair and Batangas Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro said the latest stance of Vice President Sara Duterte’s camp—indicating she is prepared to answer only before the Senate—suggests that the impeachment case may already be ready for trial.
Luistro made the remark in her opening statement as the committee resumed its April 29 hearing, following an earlier session that placed on record Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs), the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) report, corporate records from the Securities and Exchange Commission, and portions of former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV’s sworn statement.
“Una, sabi ng mga abogado, handa raw sumagot ang Bise Presidente—pero sa Senado. Hindi dito,” Luistro said.
“Napaisip tuloy tayo: kung doon siya sasagot, hindi ba’t kinikilala na rin niya na may sapat nang ebidensya dito, at patungo na sa Senado ang kasong ito?” she added.
Luistro said the camp’s response appears to shift the discussion toward timing, venue, and process, rather than addressing the substance of the evidence presented.
“At yan ang tatlong bagay na ginawa nila: una, nagdeklara sila na handa silang sumagot sa Senado; pangalawa, sinabihan tayo na mag-ingat; at pangatlo, ang pag-file ng panibagong reklamo laban sa atin,” she said.
She stressed that the committee would not be distracted from its constitutional duty, noting that its role is not to determine guilt but to assess whether there is sufficient basis for the impeachment process to proceed.
Luistro also suggested that the Vice President’s camp may already be acknowledging the direction of the proceedings by reserving its response for the trial stage rather than the probable cause stage.
“Wala tayong papanigan kundi ang katotohanan. Saan man tayo dalhin ng ebidensya, doon tayo susunod,” she said.
“Our mandate is clear, and our resolve is firm—guided by the Constitution, anchored on evidence, and faithful to the trust of the Filipino people,” she added.
She contrasted the camp’s call for caution with the committee’s emphasis on transparency.
“Ang sabi ng kampo: ‘Let us be cautious.’ Ang sagot natin: ‘Let us be truthful.’”
Luistro said the April 22 hearing entered what she described as the stage of “forensic truth,” where official records, rather than rhetoric, guided the discussion.
She noted that Ombudsman-confirmed SALNs showed Duterte’s net worth rising from P34 million in 2016 to P88 million in 2024, even as she declared zero cash or deposits from 2019 onward.
The AMLC also reported more than 630 covered transactions and 33 suspicious transactions amounting to P6.7 billion. Luistro added that selected documents submitted by Trillanes were cross-checked and found consistent with official records.