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MANILA, Philippines — The committee on justice of the House of Representatives has a solid case to proceed with its impeachment cases against Vice President Sara Duterte and can draw enough number of votes to force a Senate trial, San Juan City Rep. Bel Zamora said yesterday.
“I believe we have the numbers,” Zamora, vice chairman of the justice committee, said at a news forum.
“We need one-third or around 106, if I’m not mistaken. And I believe we have the numbers,” Zamora said.
She admitted that some of her colleagues had expressed concerns about the evidence to be presented, but she assured them that there is a strong case to pursue the impeachment of the Vice President.
“Yes. I admit that some may have dilly-dallied. I admit that some congressmen have questions
compared to last year. Well, of course, because the next election is coming,” Zamora said.
“Again, we admit that this is a political process. But as we go along, I believe that our colleagues are seeing the cause that the members of the committee on justice are fighting for,” she added.
The lawmaker also clarified that the ongoing proceedings at the committee level were for determining probable cause, and not a full trial.
“Under our rules, it is a hearing, but it is also stated under our rules that we can ask questions. There are examination questions that we may propound as members of the House committee on justice,” she maintained. “Again, it is a hearing for determining probable cause.”
She explained that lawmakers would be allowed to ask clarificatory questions during the committee’s hearing on the case, similar to a preliminary investigation conducted by prosecutors.
She also chided the legal team of the Vice President for again seeking the help of the Supreme Court in stopping her impeachment.
“In fact, we expected them to file this petition. Like what we have said, it is more than 100 pages long. How can they have come up with a 100-plus pager petition in a few days right after we had our hearing in the committee on justice? So obviously it has been prepared a long time ago,” Zamora said.
Puzzled
She said the SC had already ruled early this year on the issue of constitutionality and directed the House to observe due process and afford Duterte her constitutional rights through proceedings before the justice committee.
“That is why we are puzzled that when we followed the Supreme Court decision, followed each letter of the House committee on justice rules and the rules of impeachment of the House of Representatives, they are again questioning it,” Zamora said.
“We just follow our duty under the Constitution and as dictated by the Supreme Court in the decision in the Duterte case,” she maintained.
Justice committee chairperson Rep. Gerville Luistro voiced the same sentiment. “We are conducting clarificatory hearing. It is quite puzzling to us because previously, their complaint is there was no proceedings. The evidence has not been verified. And that is why were declared unconstitutional,” Luistro said in an interview on threads.com.
“Now, there is a hearing proper, there is a clarificatory hearing. We are giving due process to the respondent. We asked her to reply through her answers,we are giving her all the opportunity to present her evidence, but still they have complaints,” she added.
She stressed that “we are following the letters of the rules of impeachment, the letters of the Constitution and even the letters of the recent decision and resolution of the Supreme Court.”
Luistro said that while the committee is not stopping Duterte and her lawyers from seeking help from the high tribunal, she is reminding them that “we are merely following the rules of impeachment which was approved and adopted pursuant to the powers given that was given under the Constitution, particularly under Article 11.”
But in an interview in Davao City, Duterte claimed the SC petition was filed by “independent lawyers” without consulting her.
“They didn’t consult me, right? Because I’m not thinking about impeachment these days. I’ve left that all to the lawyers,” Duterte said.
A group of 10 lawyers led by Israelito Torreon filed the petition.
“And of course, I’m grateful to the independent lawyers who are not included in the defense team that still think about fighting for our Constitution and countering the abuse of the impeachment process,” Duterte added.
Probable cause
On the Duterte camp’s insistence that she is already being tried by the committee, Luistro emphasized that what the panel is doing is an “inter-preliminary investigation,” the objective of which is “only to determine the existence of probable cause.”
“If we are mandated to determine the existence of probable cause, how else are we going to do this if we will not conduct a hearing proper, if we will not conduct a clarificatory hearing, if we will not ask question from the witnesses, if we will not issue subpoena duces tecum and ad testificandum?”
In a statement, Manila Rep. Joel Chua said the Duterte camp’s SC petition “only confirms our suspicion from the very beginning that the Vice President is afraid of a full blown trial in the Senate, contrary to her claim that she wants a bloodbath!”
For Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, public distrust of the Vice President is likely to worsen if she continues to evade corruption allegations against her.
He cited a recent Pulse Asia survey showing 51.5 percent of respondents distrust Duterte. “The 51.5 percent distrust is not accidental. It is the direct result of the continued evasion of serious allegations, especially on confidential funds,” Ridon, chairman of the House committee on public accounts, said.
“The longer the answers do not come, the stronger the distrust becomes. You can delay a hearing, but you cannot delay the public’s verdict on your character,” he added.
Despite the latest legal recourse by the Duterte camp, Zamora said she is confident the SC will act “judiciously and properly” on the petition to stop the impeachment proceedings.
“We will do our duty under the Constitution, our duty as representatives, as congressmen and as members of the House committee on justice,” Zamora told the Saturday News Forum.
“We will always do our duty under the Constitution and I know the Supreme Court will do their duty under the Constitution,” Zamora said. She also does not see the situation escalating into a constitutional crisis.
Zamora also dismissed criticism that the impeachment proceedings would only distract the nation from efforts to address the raging fuel crisis sparked by the US-Israel war on Iran.
“We admit that there is a crisis, there is a war ongoing, there is an energy crisis, but we have to do our task as mandated by the Constitution,” Zamora said
“Not because the impeachment is ongoing, Congress or the House of Representatives is neglecting its duty,” Zamora said.
She emphasized that the committee is operating under a fixed constitutional timeline – within 60 session days – and cannot simply stop its work. — Bella Cariaso
