House Justice Committee Sets March 2-4 Hearings on Sara Duterte Impeachment — Four Complaints on the Table
The House of Representatives' Committee on Justice has officially scheduled hearings on the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte for March 2, 3, and 4, starting at 10 AM at the Jose de Venecia People's Center. Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville Luistro will preside over the proceedings.
Four separate impeachment complaints are on the table. They were filed by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and endorsed by the Makabayan bloc; Tindig Pilipinas led by Francis Aquino Dee and endorsed by Akbayan Rep. Percival Cendaña and ML Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima; Rev. Joel Saballa endorsed by de Lima; and Nathaniel Cabrera endorsed by Representatives Bienvenido Abante and Paolo Ortega V.
The committee will first determine whether the complaints are sufficient in form and substance. If they pass that threshold, the next step is deciding whether there's enough basis to draft articles of impeachment. One-third of the House's 106 members would need to vote yes to send the case to the Senate for trial.
VP Sara's defense team isn't taking this lightly. Spokesman Michael Wesley Poa said they'll "closely monitor" the hearings and expects the same standards applied to presidential impeachment complaints to be "consistently and impartially applied" to the VP's case. Translation: they're watching every move.
The National Unity Party, meanwhile, has signaled they won't vote for impeachment unless "compelling new evidence" surfaces during the hearings. NUP Secretary General Reginald Velasco stressed that impeachment shouldn't be used as a "political instrument." With the Marcos-Duterte rift as backdrop, these hearings are about to become the biggest political spectacle of early 2026.
Source: The Manila Times
