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House Given 5 Days To Review Sara Duterte Impeachment Before Vote
Photo credit: House of Representatives of the Philippines
Members of the House of Representatives will have five days to review the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte before a plenary vote expected on May 11, according to House Committee on Justice chairperson Gerville Luistro..
In an interview with DZMM, Luistro emphasized that giving lawmakers enough time to study the documents is part of due process and follows guidance from the Supreme Court of the Philippines.
“Ang sabi nila diyan, before the plenary vote, the House members should be provided with a copy of the committee report, the resolution and the articles of impeachment, most especially the articles of impeachment and the attached evidence,” Luistro said.
“They should be given reasonable time to read and study the same before the plenary vote. That’s part of due process na napag-aralan,” she added.
The justice panel earlier approved the consolidated impeachment articles in a unanimous 55-0 vote, based on complaints that were found to have probable cause on April 29. The report has since been forwarded for scheduling by the House Committee on Rules.
Once referred back to the plenary, copies of the report will be distributed to all 318 House members, as well as to the vice president and the complainants.
“After pang mai-refer ng Rules back to the plenary, the plenary should order, should direct the Secretary General to provide copies to all the House members,” Luistro explained.
If distributed as expected, lawmakers will have Wednesday through Sunday to review the documents.
“So if that will happen today, then we have Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. I think five days is reasonable period for the House members to be able to read and study,” she said.
“From my perspective as the justice chair, given the five-day period na ibibigay natin to the House members to study, I think by May 11, the plenary should be ready to vote,” she added.
For his part, committee member and Senior Deputy Majority Leader Lorenz Defensor, said the pace of the process is necessary to ensure fairness and informed decision-making.
“Sadyang matagal ang proseso ng impeachment kasi dapat mabigyan ng pagkakataon na mailatag ang ebidensya para magkaroon kami ng sapat na batayan para makaboto ng intelihente at bigyan din ng pagkakataon ang mga respondent, katulad ng vice president, na kung gusto niya sumagot ay may panahon at pagkakataon siya sumagot,” he said.
Defensor added that Duterte still has a chance to refute the allegations before the case reaches a possible Senate trial—if she can present strong counter-evidence. However, he noted she had already been given that opportunity during committee hearings but did not attend.
“It’s always part of due process, kaya lang nakita natin hindi nila dinalo ang mga committee hearing ng Committee on Justice. But nonetheless, the vice president was given every opportunity to attend and to debunk,” he said.
“Maganda sana ang pagkakataon niyong sabihing mali ang ebidensya o may mas matatag akong ebidensya para pag bumoto ang mga miyembro ng committee ba, may masasabi silang ‘ah itong allegation na ito hindi dapat ito magtuloy, ah ito pwedeng magtuloy.’ Hindi talaga sinagot lahat ng ebidensya,” he added.
In an interview with DZMM, Luistro emphasized that giving lawmakers enough time to study the documents is part of due process and follows guidance from the Supreme Court of the Philippines.
“Ang sabi nila diyan, before the plenary vote, the House members should be provided with a copy of the committee report, the resolution and the articles of impeachment, most especially the articles of impeachment and the attached evidence,” Luistro said.
“They should be given reasonable time to read and study the same before the plenary vote. That’s part of due process na napag-aralan,” she added.
The justice panel earlier approved the consolidated impeachment articles in a unanimous 55-0 vote, based on complaints that were found to have probable cause on April 29. The report has since been forwarded for scheduling by the House Committee on Rules.
Once referred back to the plenary, copies of the report will be distributed to all 318 House members, as well as to the vice president and the complainants.
“After pang mai-refer ng Rules back to the plenary, the plenary should order, should direct the Secretary General to provide copies to all the House members,” Luistro explained.
If distributed as expected, lawmakers will have Wednesday through Sunday to review the documents.
“So if that will happen today, then we have Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. I think five days is reasonable period for the House members to be able to read and study,” she said.
“From my perspective as the justice chair, given the five-day period na ibibigay natin to the House members to study, I think by May 11, the plenary should be ready to vote,” she added.
For his part, committee member and Senior Deputy Majority Leader Lorenz Defensor, said the pace of the process is necessary to ensure fairness and informed decision-making.
“Sadyang matagal ang proseso ng impeachment kasi dapat mabigyan ng pagkakataon na mailatag ang ebidensya para magkaroon kami ng sapat na batayan para makaboto ng intelihente at bigyan din ng pagkakataon ang mga respondent, katulad ng vice president, na kung gusto niya sumagot ay may panahon at pagkakataon siya sumagot,” he said.
Defensor added that Duterte still has a chance to refute the allegations before the case reaches a possible Senate trial—if she can present strong counter-evidence. However, he noted she had already been given that opportunity during committee hearings but did not attend.
“It’s always part of due process, kaya lang nakita natin hindi nila dinalo ang mga committee hearing ng Committee on Justice. But nonetheless, the vice president was given every opportunity to attend and to debunk,” he said.
“Maganda sana ang pagkakataon niyong sabihing mali ang ebidensya o may mas matatag akong ebidensya para pag bumoto ang mga miyembro ng committee ba, may masasabi silang ‘ah itong allegation na ito hindi dapat ito magtuloy, ah ito pwedeng magtuloy.’ Hindi talaga sinagot lahat ng ebidensya,” he added.
May 5, 2026
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