ILOILO — Four Iloilo lawmakers voted in favor of a landmark House justice committee report recommending the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio, joining a unanimous 55–0 vote that cleared the way for the case to reach the plenary.
The committee report found probable cause to impeach Duterte-Carpio.
The four Ilonggo House of Representatives members were Iloilo City Lone District’s Cong. Julienne Baronda, Iloilo 1st District’s Cong. Janette Garin, Iloilo 3rd District’s Cong. Lorenz Defensor, and Iloilo 4th District’s Ferjenel Biron.
The committee’s unanimous decision, reached Monday, May 4, capped weeks of hearings and deliberations, and formally transmitted the impeachment case to the House floor for further action.
Biron said his vote was consistent with his earlier positions throughout the proceedings.
“I’m being consistent with my votes from sufficiency in form and substance and grounds up to determination of probable cause. The committee report is a formality report of all the evidence presented so I have to vote for its passage in the committee,” Biron said.
Baronda, Garin, and Defensor have yet to issue official statements as of press time.
Committee chair and Batangas’ Cong. Gerville Luistro declared the approval unanimous, saying: “Let it be placed on the record that 55, out of 55 Justice (Committee) members physically present, manifested their support to the approval of the Committee Report, to the attached resolution setting forth the Articles of Impeachment, as amended. The Chair therefore declares the motion unanimously approved.”
The motion to approve the report and the Articles of Impeachment was made by Deputy Speaker David “Jay-jay” Suarez after the panel disposed of all proposed amendments.
“Insofar as we have acted on all the proposed amendments of our colleagues, I move for the approval of the Committee Report, the attached resolution setting forth the Articles of Impeachment against the Vice President, Sara Z. Duterte, as amended,” Suarez said.
The adopted report consolidated findings from eight hearings, during which lawmakers examined testimonial, documentary, and digital evidence from 22 witnesses and multiple government agencies, including the National Bureau of Investigation, Commission on Audit, Anti-Money Laundering Council, and Bureau of Internal Revenue.
The committee found that the evidence met the constitutional threshold for impeachment, citing probable cause for charges including culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, corruption, and other high crimes.
Central to the findings were allegations that Duterte-Carpio misused P612.5 million in confidential funds under the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education when she served as its secretary, citing irregular disbursements, questionable liquidation reports, and unverifiable recipients.
The report also cited alleged unexplained wealth, noting a sharp increase in Duterte-Carpio’s declared net worth despite comparatively lower lawful income, and flagged billions of pesos in transactions linked to her and her spouse based on Anti-Money Laundering Council data.
Further allegations included bribery and corruption involving Department of Education officials, including the supposed distribution of cash envelopes to influence procurement and financial decisions.
The Articles of Impeachment also cited Duterte-Carpio’s public statements interpreted as threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, as well as actions described as contributing to political destabilization.
The committee earlier voted separately on the Saballa and Cabrera complaints, both of which were unanimously affirmed before being consolidated into a single set of Articles of Impeachment.
With the committee’s approval, the report and Articles of Impeachment will now be transmitted to the House plenary, where lawmakers will decide whether to elevate the case to the Senate.
If at least one-third of all House members vote in favor, the Articles of Impeachment will be forwarded to the Senate, which will convene as an impeachment court to try the case against the Vice President./PN
