Photo credit: Congress PH

Senators sitting as impeachment judges in the case of Vice President Sara Duterte will eventually have to explain their decisions before the public and base their verdict purely on evidence, Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability chair Joel Chua said over the weekend.

Chua, who is also a member of the House Committee on Justice, stressed that the impeachment process should be guided by facts and constitutional procedure, not political alliances or personal loyalty.

“Yes. Merit lang tayo. Kasi kung wala naman talaga, bakit mo naman sasabihin? Ang hirap na i-justify nun,” Chua said in an interview on One News’ “Politika All The Way.”

He said the vice president will still be given the opportunity to contest the allegations during a Senate trial, but emphasized that documentary evidence will be difficult to dismiss.

“But of course kasi sa Senado, they will be given the opportunity to cross-examine ‘yung mga evidence. Pero itong documentary evidence, ewan ko kung paano nila pasisinungalingan ito,” he said.

Chua pointed to records discussed during House hearings, including alleged inconsistencies in Duterte’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs), where she reportedly declared zero cash on hand despite financial transactions flagged by the Anti-Money Laundering Council.

“Just like sa ill-gotten wealth. In SALN tandaan mo, zero ang declaration ng cash. Ibig sabihin pag dito sa hearing may lumabas, P100 million na lang, ang layo pa rin ng zero sa P100 million,” he said.

“Sabihin na nga natin huwag na P6.7 billion. P100 million na lang. E dini-declare mo zero,” he added.

He also drew comparisons to past impeachment proceedings, including that of former Chief Justice Renato Corona, where documentary records played a key role in the outcome.

“Pero nung naglabasan na ‘yung mga ebidensya, ang hirap i-justify eh. Paano mo sasabihin na wala kung sumisigaw na sa harapan mo ‘yung ebidensya?” Chua said.

Chua said senators will ultimately face public scrutiny for how they vote on the case, especially during future elections.

“Paano mo rin, pag-akyat mo sa entablado come 2028, ano sasabihin mo sa mga constituents mo? Sabihin ng constituents mo ‘Cong ba’t ganoon naging voto mo?’ Tapos hindi mo maipaliwanag kung bakit. Hindi mo ma-justify. Sasabihin mong politika,” he said.

“Ayan sa harapan eh, numero hindi magsisinungaling. Numero at ebidensya ang linaw eh,” he added.

Chua also noted that the Duterte camp had already sought relief from the Supreme Court even before the House Committee on Justice formally began its hearings on the impeachment complaints.

“At kung papansinin mo, hindi pa nga nagsisimulang committee hearing namin, ‘yung simulang simula, puro TRO na ina-apply nila sa Supreme Court,” he said.

“So ibig sabihin meron silang ayaw makita ng taong bayan,” he added.

He said records from the hearings, including Anti-Money Laundering Council findings, have since become part of public debate surrounding the impeachment case.

“Kaya eto, lumabas ‘yung mga ebidensya, now we know kung ano pala ‘yun—kung ano ‘yung mga gusto nilang i-prevent na mailathala sa taong bayan,” Chua said.