Sara Gets the Invite: House Panel Wants VP at March 25 Ground Rules Meet

Vice President Sara Duterte has been formally invited by the House Committee on Justice to attend a March 25 meeting that will set the ground rules for the impeachment complaints filed against her. The session is meant to lay out how the case will move, including who will be called in and how the first hearing will be organized.

According to committee chairman and Batangas Representative Gerville Luistro, the meeting will tackle the complaints filed by Fr. Joel Saballa and lawyer Nathaniel Cabrera. It will also help determine the lineup of resource speakers and witnesses ahead of the first hearing now scheduled for April 14.

Luistro said Duterte's presence matters because it gives her a chance to question the complainants' evidence and start presenting her side early. Kung absent siya, the panel can proceed with the evidence already on record, which could leave the complainants' submissions standing without a direct challenge from the vice president at that stage.

The justice panel chief also pushed back against talk that politics or possible bribery could affect the vote, saying the committee's focus is to run the proceedings in an orderly, organized, and fair way for all sides. He said the respondent's participation could be key if members eventually vote on whether there is probable cause to move the impeachment forward.

For now, Duterte's camp has confirmed receiving the invitation, but spokesman Michael Poa said there is no rule that automatically requires her attendance and any decision will depend on legal advice. So yes, game on na ang next phase, but whether the vice president actually shows up on March 25 is still an open question.

Source: The Manila Times