The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte will give the Filipino people a chance to hear the evidence for themselves and assess whether the allegations against her warrant conviction before the Senate impeachment court.
A House leader said the proceedings are anchored on constitutional accountability, not merely political conflict, as the case involves an impeachable official facing serious accusations under the Constitution.
“Unang-una, pinag-uusapan natin dito ay ‘yung Constitution. Though the vice president ang nililitis, ang lumilitis po talaga sa kanya ay ang Constitution,” House trial spokesperson and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said in an interview.
“Dahil ang nakataya po dito ang accountability mechanism ng Constitution na sinasabi naman po ng ating batas, Saligang Batas, na wala pong nangunguna sa batas ng bayan,” he added.
The Articles of Impeachment against Duterte include allegations of misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth, bribery, and grave threats against top government officials.
The House prosecution panel has divided its work into four teams corresponding to the four articles. Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro will lead the prosecution on the alleged misuse of confidential funds, Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon on unexplained wealth, Manila Rep. Joel Chua on bribery, and Iloilo Rep. Lorenz Defensor on grave threats.
Among the issues expected to be raised are alleged discrepancies in Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs), findings by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) on transactions involving Duterte and her husband’s accounts, and audit findings on confidential funds.
“‘Yung non-disclosure ng kanyang SALN, ‘yung mga confirmation ng AMLA na there were deposits made na hindi nag-appear doon sa SALN niya,” the House spokesperson said.
He also cited findings involving confidential funds allegedly used outside existing rules, including an order to return P73 million and other amounts flagged by the Commission on Audit as disallowed.
“‘Yung confirmation po ng ICFAO (Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office) saying that the confidential funds have been utilized outside of the joint memorandum at ‘yung pang sinasabi po ng ICFAO to restitute the P73M right away, and for other portion of the confidential funds in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd quarter of 2024 that was flagged by the COA as disallowed, meaning hindi tama yung pag-gasta,” he said.
The House official said the public deserves verified and factual information, especially amid online disinformation surrounding the impeachment proceedings.
“You can either oppose or agree to the position of the prosecution, but definitely, the people deserve to know the truth, deserve to know verified and factual information, kasi unang-una ang tumatayo po dito ang Constitution,” he said.
He added that the trial will also allow Duterte to respond to the allegations and present her defense before the senator-judges.
“Nararapat naman ng taong bayan ay marinig nila at madinggin nila at makita nila itong mga evidences na ipipresenta ng prosecution. At the same time, marinig din nila, mabigyan ng opportunity at mabigay ng defense ang magiging argumento nila ‘no to counter these evidences,” he said.
The Senate convened as an impeachment court on Monday and issued a writ of summons directing Duterte to answer the Articles of Impeachment within 10 days from receipt. Once she files her response, the House prosecution panel will have five days to submit its reply.
The impeachment court is expected to schedule the pre-trial and trial proper, where both sides will present evidence and witnesses. A conviction requires a two-thirds vote, or at least 16 of the 24 senators.