Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville Luistro, chair of the House Committee on Justice, said the panel is now fully committed to defending its unanimous determination after completing its evaluation of the impeachment complaints.
Luistro said the committee’s work has shifted from fact-finding to defending its findings as the case advances to the plenary stage and, if approved by the House of Representatives, to trial in the Senate.
“Today, the Justice Committee has taken a clear position, and that position is in favor of the finding of probable cause,” Luistro said in an interview.
She added that the panel’s responsibility now is to stand by and support its conclusion. “From here on, our duty is to defend the committee’s determination on probable cause,” she said.
Luistro, a lawyer, explained that if the House plenary affirms the committee’s report, the impeachment process will proceed to prosecution in the Senate, where the Vice President would face trial.
“And if affirmed by the plenary, our role continues in ensuring that the case is properly prosecuted in the Senate trial,” she said.
The committee earlier voted unanimously to find probable cause, a decision Luistro described as the culmination of its preliminary assessment of evidence presented during hearings.
“The mandate was straightforward: determine whether probable cause exists,” she pointed out. “After yesterday’s vote, probable cause prevailed unanimously.”
She emphasized that during the clarificatory hearings, the panel maintained strict neutrality, functioning much like a body conducting a preliminary investigation.
“We could not take sides,” Luistro said. “We were there to ensure the process was followed properly and fairly.”
Luistro also dismissed claims that lawmakers or their staff were being pressured to support the impeachment proceedings, saying she had not encountered any such interference.
“I respectfully disagree with that claim,” she said. “I have not received any calls or pressure from anyone, including my office or staff, regarding support for the process.”
Addressing criticisms questioning the constitutionality of the proceedings, Luistro said the committee had anticipated legal challenges from the outset.
“They can always question the constitutionality of what we are doing before the Justice Committee,” she said. “We expected that from the very beginning.”
She noted that several petitions are already pending before the Supreme Court, while separate criminal complaints have also been filed against some members of the committee, including herself.
“There are already multiple petitions pending before the Supreme Court, and criminal cases have even been filed against four members of the Justice Committee, myself included,” Luistro said.
Despite these developments, she stressed that the committee will continue its work unless restrained by the courts.
“We anticipated all of this,” she said. “But as far as the committee is concerned, as long as there is no temporary restraining order or injunction, we are bound by our constitutional duty to proceed with the impeachment process.”