The House Committee on Justice will proceed with its April 14 hearing on impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte, even as it prepares its formal response to petitions filed before the Supreme Court seeking to halt the proceedings.
On Wednesday, the high court gave the House of Representatives 10 days to comment on the petitions filed by Duterte and Torreon et al., but declined to issue a temporary restraining order, allowing the scheduled hearing to move forward.
Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Representative Leila de Lima, who endorsed one of the impeachment complaints, said the House is confident it is acting within constitutional limits.
“We are fairly confident… All that the House Committee on Justice is doing is following the rules, following the Constitution and the rules,” she said in an online interview Thursday.
De Lima suggested that the petitions may be part of a legal strategy to delay proceedings.
“Yes, hindi ito unexpected kasi nakikita na kaagad natin ‘yan noong hindi niya pag-appear… malamang hindi na naman mag-appear sa April 14. So ang kanilang talagang tack all along is really to prevent these proceedings from really proceeding, to go on. Dahil nga natatakot siguro. Ayaw nilang harapin, ayaw,” she said.
She added that Duterte’s own petition before the Supreme Court was filed because the Torreon petition lacked firm legal standing.
The committee has issued subpoenas for key witnesses and documents, including Duterte’s lawyer Michael Poa, who was directed to submit Department of Education records filed with the Commission on Audit, and Melvin Matibag, head of the National Bureau of Investigation, tasked to provide documents related to the agency’s probe into alleged threats by Duterte against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
De Lima welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision not to issue a TRO.
“We are hoping that this time around, the Supreme Court will exercise judicial restraint,” she said.
She also noted that the committee is expected to initially tackle allegations involving the misuse of confidential funds, with former aide Ramil Madriaga—who has claimed to be Duterte’s bagman—set to testify.
Madriaga, currently detained on kidnapping charges, has been permitted by a Manila Regional Trial Court to attend the hearing under subpoena.