Marilyn Cahatol

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ABS-CBN News

<div style="text-align:left"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177745379955220260429-VP-duterte-impeachment-hearing-JC-BR0I0020.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="The House of Representatives Committee on Justice holds its final hearing regarding the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte at the April 29, 2026 at the Batasan Pambansa in Quezon City. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The House of Representatives Committee on Justice holds its final hearing regarding the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte at the April 29, 2026 at the Batasan Pambansa in Quezon City. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p style="text-align:left">MANILA (<strong>UPDATED</strong>) — The House Committee on Justice on Wednesday found probable cause to send the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte to the House plenary for a vote. </p><p>In a unanimous vote, the justice panel agreed that the evidence presented in the four-day hearings was strong enough for both complaints to proceed to plenary. A total of 53 panel members supported the motions.</p><p>The panel also voted to consolidate the two complaints. Once the committee report on the articles of impeachment is approved by the panel, it will be brought to plenary for voting.</p><p>Duterte’s defense team asserted that “the proceedings before the Committee departed from the constitutional design.”</p><p>“Instead of confining itself to the verified complaints and their attachments, the process expanded into matters that properly belong to a full trial,” said Duterte’s lawyer Michael Poa.</p><p>The Constitution requires at least one-third of the votes of House members for the articles of impeachment to be transmitted to the Senate. A guilty verdict in the Senate trial would ban Duterte from elected office for life.</p><p>The complaints are grounded on various accusations against Duterte, including her alleged misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth and a supposed assassination plot against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former House speaker Martin Romualdez.</p><p>Duterte has repeatedly denied the allegations.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/29/congressmen-told-to-avoid-pop-culture-references-in-vp-impeachment-hearing-1336">&#x27;This is serious&#x27;: Congressmen told to avoid pop culture references in VP impeachment hearing</a></div><div> </div><div><strong>CIF, UNEXPLAINED WEALTH</strong></div><p>During the four-day proceedings, Ramil Madriaga, Duterte’s alleged bagman, claimed he &quot;personally disposed&quot; the Office of the Vice President&#x27;s (OVP) P125 million confidential funds in less than a day under Duterte’s supposed instructions, not 11 days as earlier reported.</p><p>He also claimed he had been tasked to provide security and intelligence work for the Duterte family, including &quot;handling and conveying of highly confidential information, and the transportation of large amounts of money to several persons as instructed by Sara.&quot;</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/14/-wait-madriaga-claims-he-disposed-of-ovp-s-p125-m-confidential-funds-in-less-than-24-hours-1424">Madriaga claims he &#x27;disposed&#x27; of OVP&#x27;s P125-M confidential funds &#x27;in less than 24 hours&#x27;</a></div><p>The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) also reiterated that the alleged confidential funds recipients “Mary Grace Piattos” and “Kokoy Villamin” are <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/14/psa-reiterates-it-has-no-records-of-mary-grace-piattos-kokoy-villamin-2046">non-existent</a>, but found a record for “Irene Tan,” whom it described as a common name.</p><p>The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) meanwhile said that the forensic examination on at least 36 acknowledgement receipts pertaining to the vice president’s confidential funds showed that several receipts were <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/14/nbi-finds-similarities-in-signatures-handwriting-tied-to-vp-duterte-s-confidential-funds-1730">written by the same person.</a></p><p>On April 22, the Anti-Money Laundering Council revealed that a total of <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/22/amlc-reports-33-suspicious-bank-transactions-under-sara-duterte-husband-1431">P6.77 billion</a> in &quot;suspicious&quot; and &quot;covered&quot; transactions flowed through the bank accounts of Duterte and her husband, lawyer Manases &quot;Mans&quot; Carpio, in nearly two decades.</p><p>Documents and an official from the Office of the Ombudsman also confirmed that Duterte had <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/22/ombudsman-sara-duterte-saln-house-panel-impeachment-1050">no declared cash and bank deposits</a> in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs) from 2019 to 2024.</p><p>Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV also claimed that the Duterte family, including Sara, former president Rodrigo Duterte, Veronica “Kitty” Duterte, Honeylet Avanceña, Rep. Paolo Duterte, and Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/22/duterte-family-received-over-p181-million-from-alleged-drug-lord-trillanes-claims-1653">received millions of pesos </a>in manager’s checks from Samuel “Sammy” Uy, an alleged drug lord.</p><p>The Bureau of Internal Revenue submitted a sealed box containing Duterte and Carpio’s tax records, but the justice panel <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/29/house-panel-votes-to-leave-opening-of-duterte-tax-records-to-senate-impeachment-court-1224">left it unopened</a> to not violate the National Internal Revenue Code which only allows the disclosure of tax information in Congress in aid of legislation or in an executive session.</p><div> </div><div><strong>THREATS, DESTABILIZATION</strong></div><p>On the last day of the clarificatory hearing, the National Bureau of Investigation said it has confirmed that the video of Duterte&#x27;s alleged assassination threat against Marcos had been &quot;authenticated&quot; and it was not spliced or altered.</p><p>The NBI also said it was already <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/29/nbi-duterte-threat-marcos-impeachment-hearing-1315">following leads</a> on the individual that the vice president allegedly hired to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Duterte later said her comments had been misinterpreted.</p><p>NBI officials also reaffirmed that Duterte’s threat constitutes crimes of <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/29/nbi-duterte-threat-marcos-impeachment-hearing-1315">“inciting to sedition” and “grave threat.”  </a></p><p>“We can reasonably conclude that the pieces of evidence before the committee, both testimonial and documentary, are clear, consistent, preponderant and mutually reinforcing,” said Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila De Lima, who endorsed the Saballa et al. complaint.</p><p>“From the misuse and abuse of confidential funds, bribery of DepEd officials, to the alarming pattern of amassing unexplained wealth, to the gravity of threats and seditious incitement that strike at the very heart of our constitutional order—there exists probable cause to impeach the Vice President,” she added.</p><p>Meanwhile, Manila City Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., who endorsed the Cabrera et al. complaint, said: “May sapat na usok na tayo para patunayang may sunog, may malakas na probable cause upang i-impeach si Sara Duterte.”</p><p>“Panahon na upang dalhin ang kasong ito sa Senado. Panahon na para sa katotohanan,” he added.</p><p>Some lawmakers sought one additional hearing before they voted on probable cause with Cagayan De Oro 1st District Representative Lordan Suan making the suggestion due the &quot;gravity&quot; of the matter.</p><p>&quot;Hindi po ba medyo mabilis ang pagboto natin para sa probable cause? I ask this not to delay the work of this committee, but because I believe that the gravity of what we are about to do demands that we ask it,&quot; Suan said. </p><p>1-Rider party-list Representative Rodge Gutierrez supported Suan&#x27;s statement, saying Duterte should be given more opportunities to explain herself. </p><p>But House justice panel Chairperson Gerville Luistro quickly responded by citing numerous instances where the vice president was given the opportunity to give her side.</p><p>&quot;I think we have surpassed so much– whatever standard of due process is being required. As a matter of fact, even today, we’ve called her for four times already,&quot; Luistro said. </p><p>Duterte was absent during the meeting on Wednesday, which was also the case for all other committee meetings under the hearing proper on impeachment complaints. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;NOT UNEXPECTED&#x27;</strong></div><p>The defense team of the vice president said the justice committee’s determination of probable cause was &quot;not unexpected.&quot; </p><p>“The finding of probable cause by the House Committee on Justice was not unexpected, given the direction the proceedings had taken... Instead of confining itself to the verified complaints and their attachments, the process expanded into matters that properly belong to a full trial,” the defense team said in a statement.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/29/sara-duterte-impeach-defense-team-calls-house-panel-probable-cause-finding-not-unexpected-1709">READ: Sara Duterte impeach defense team calls House panel probable cause finding &#x27;not unexpected&#x27;</a></div><p>The panel is set to hold another hearing on Monday, May 4, after Luistro ordered the committee secretariat to prepare the committee report, resolution, and articles of impeachment and give these to the complainants, Duterte, and committee members. </p><p>Duterte, who in February announced a 2028 presidential bid, was <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/2/5/house-impeaches-vp-sara-duterte-1551">impeached </a>last year, only for the Supreme Court to toss the case out over procedural issues.</p><p>Duterte and Marcos have been engaged in a high-stakes political brawl that erupted within weeks of their 2022 win in the presidential election, when the vice president was denied her favoured cabinet portfolios and instead named education secretary.</p><p>Duterte&#x27;s 2025 impeachment effectively bypassed the committee process, when the necessary one-third of House members signed an impeachment complaint, sending it directly to the Senate.</p><p>The House is currently in recess, meaning any new impeachment vote must wait until they return on May 4. <strong>-- with reports from Rowegie Abanto, Chalssea Kate Echegoyen, Job Manahan, Agatha Gregorio and Vivienne Gulla, ABS-CBN News; Agence France-Presse</strong></p><div><strong><br/></strong></div><div><strong>WATCH the proceedings here:</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-57kIr6C7Ww?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>The House Committee on Justice on Wednesday found probable cause to send the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte to the House plenary for a vote.</p>

The House Committee on Justice on Wednesday found probable cause to send the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte to the House plenary for a vote.

Sara Duterte impeachment now up to House plenary after panel finds probable cause

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Sara Duterte impeachment now up to House plenary after panel finds probable cause

Marilyn Cahatol,

ABS-CBN News

Published April 29, 2026 04:18 PM PHT

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Updated April 29, 2026 10:12 PM PHT

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Sara Duterte

impeachment

House of Representatives

Committee on Justice

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