MANILA — The House Committee on Justice on Wednesday afternoon unanimously found probable cause to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio following a series of hearings.
Committee chairperson and Batangas 2nd District’s Cong. Gerville Luistro said no member objected to the motion, with 53 lawmakers present during the vote.
The decision came after four days of hearings that presented various pieces of evidence and testimonies. Among these was the account of detainee Ramil Madriaga, who claimed that P125 million in confidential funds from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) was disbursed within 24 hours through cash deliveries in Laguna, Quezon City, and the Office of the Ombudsman.
Madriaga also signed a bank waiver, while alleging that the Vice President’s election campaign may have been financed by Pharmally, a firm previously linked to anomalous government procurements during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Commission on Audit (COA) earlier upheld a notice of disallowance against the Office of the Vice President on P73 million in confidential funds from 2022. COA officials also confirmed three additional notices of disallowance covering P125 million each, or a total of P375 million, for 2023.
Testimonies from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) regarding signatures on acknowledgment receipts, as well as findings from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), were also cited.
The PSA said several alleged recipients of confidential funds — identified as Mary Grace Piattos, Milky Secuya, and Kokoy Villamin — have no records in the country’s civil registry.
It was also noted during the hearings that the Vice President did not declare any cash on hand or in bank in her Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) from 2019 to 2024.
Meanwhile, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) flagged P6.7 billion in bank transactions linked to the Vice President and her husband, Manases Carpio, from 2006 to 2025 as covered and suspicious transactions. These included inflows of P4.425 billion and outflows of P1.55 billion.
The AMLC report also indicated the presence of derogatory records and stated that Duterte-Carpio was the subject of 27 confidential reports from August 2024 to January 2026 involving suspected drug trafficking, graft and corrupt practices, and malversation of public funds.
Duterte-Carpio, for his part, was cited in 17 confidential reports from 2017 to 2025 involving similar allegations.
The agency further confirmed that at least 18 bank transactions linked to Duterte-Carpio and her family matched records cited in the affidavit of former senator Antonio Trillanes IV.
In addition, the NBI said a video of a press conference showing Duterte-Carpio allegedly threatening President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his family could constitute inciting to sedition and three counts of grave threats.
Luistro said the panel had already provided sufficient due process, noting that Duterte-Carpio declined to attend the hearings despite repeated invitations.
“We have provided so much due process already,” Luistro said.
The impeachment complaints accuse Duterte-Carpio of betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution, citing alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds, threats against the President and his family, and alleged unexplained wealth./PN
