The House of Representatives on Monday framed the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte around what lawmakers described as P6.7 billion in questionable financial transactions and records that they said require public explanation.
During plenary deliberations on the impeachment complaints, House Committee on Justice chairperson and Batangas Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro said the issue goes beyond the number of lawmakers supporting the impeachment move and instead centers on financial records examined by the House panel.
“At ngayon, balikan natin ang tanong na paulit-ulit nating naririnig: ‘May numero ba tayo?’ Opo. Meron po tayong numero. Ngunit ang numerong tinutukoy ko ay hindi lamang bilang ng boto,” Luistro said during her sponsorship speech for Committee Report No. 261 and House Resolution No. 989.
“Nasa records po ang numero. Six. Point. Seven. Billion. Pesos,” she added.
The House Committee on Justice earlier consolidated two impeachment complaints into four Articles of Impeachment involving allegations of misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth and financial transactions, bribery, and alleged threats against government officials.
According to Luistro, the committee’s findings were based on extensive records that included a 52-page committee report, an 18-page resolution, 23 pages of Articles of Impeachment, and thousands of pages of supporting documents, testimonies, certifications, and financial records.
She said the financial documents reviewed by lawmakers raised questions involving transaction patterns, fund disbursements, and alleged discrepancies that should be addressed before the public.
The lawmaker also dismissed attempts to downplay the figures discussed during committee hearings, including claims from lawyer Peter Paul Danao, counsel for lawyer Manases Carpio, that a previously reported P2-billion transaction was allegedly only P2 million due to a supposed banking system error.
Luistro argued that the House investigation covered broader financial records accumulated over several years and was not limited to a single disputed amount.
“Nakakita tayo ng mga pangalang walang official records,” she said.
“Nakakita tayo ng mga confidential funds na idineklarang disallowed at pinababalik sa kaban ng bayan.”
She added that lawmakers also reviewed records involving billions of pesos in inflows and outflows linked to accounts associated with the case.
“Maaaring may paliwanag sa bawat transaksyon. Ngunit sa laki, lawak, at pattern ng mga ito, tungkulin nating tiyakin na ang mga ito ay maipaliwanag nang lubos sa tamang forum at sa ilalim ng panunumpa,” Luistro said.
The House leader stressed that the impeachment process is intended to determine whether the allegations warrant a Senate trial, where Duterte would have the opportunity to answer the accusations and present evidence in her defense.
“At sa Senado, naroon ang pagkakataon ng Bise Presidente na sagutin nang buo ang bawat alegasyon, iharap ang kanyang ebidensya, at marinig ng buong sambayanan ang kanyang panig,” she said.
The House is expected to vote on whether to formally transmit the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate, which would then convene as an impeachment court.