House holds VP Sara impeachment hearing; Madriaga to testify

MANILA, Philippines – The House justice committee kicks off its first public hearing on the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday, April 14.

The proceedings are pushing through after the Vice President failed to convince the Supreme Court to intervene and stop the House proceedings.

Tuesday’s hearing is significant because it will feature key witnesses against her, including her alleged former bagman Ramil Madriaga, who claimed to have coordinated with her security officers to transport wads of cash, presumably confidential funds, to various individuals.

The hearing will also uncover previously unreleased pieces of evidence against the Vice President that have been subpoenaed by the panel from government agencies, including her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN), and income tax returns.

Duterte has consistently questioned the jurisdiction of the committee, and asserted that the proceedings are unconstitutional for again violating the one-year bar.

She also flagged House committee chairperson Jinky Luistro’s description of the hearing as a “mini-trial,” arguing that only the Senate can hold a trial against impeachable officials.

The House has 60 session days from February 23 to resolve the complaints. If the committee report favors the move to impeach, a one-third vote in the House plenary will bring it to the Senate for a full trial.

Only a Senate conviction can result in Duterte’s removal and disqualification from public office.

Watch the livestream of the hearing on this page at 10 am on Tuesday. – Rappler.com