Batangas 2nd District Representative Gerville Luistro defended the decision of the House Committee on Justice to issue subpoenas for evidence and witnesses in the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte, saying these are necessary to verify the truth behind the allegations.
In an interview, Luistro—who chairs the House Committee on Justice—likened committee members to investigators tasked with examining evidence to determine whether the allegations in the impeachment complaints have merit.
“As investigators in this impeachment proceeding, we are bound to test the veracity of the allegations in the impeachment complaint. Pano mo iti-test kung totoo o hindi ang nilalaman ng complaint? Pano mo iche-check kung tama itong mga nilalaman ng affidavot na isinubmit sa Justice committee if you will not gather evidence?” Luistro said.
She clarified that any evidence and witnesses to be subpoenaed must be relevant and directly connected to the complaints filed.
According to Luistro, the committee will rely on the gathered evidence and testimonies to determine whether there is probable cause to elevate the case to the Senate of the Philippines, which will conduct the impeachment trial.
Luistro emphasized that the committee’s role is limited to determining probable cause, stressing that it will ultimately be the Senate that will decide whether Duterte is guilty or not of the allegations.