Four Iloilo solons back Duterte impeachment

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Four Iloilo lawmakers sitting on the House Committee on Justice voted to find probable cause in the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte, allowing the articles of impeachment to move to the House plenary.

Third District Rep. Lorenz Defensor, 1st District Rep. Janette Garin, 4th District Rep. Ferjenel Biron, and Iloilo City Lone District Rep. Julienne Baronda voted in favor of the motion during the panel’s fourth impeachment proceeding on Wednesday, April 29.

The four Iloilo lawmakers were among the 53 committee members who unanimously approved both the third and fourth complaints against Duterte, determining that sufficient grounds exist to proceed.

While the committee unanimously allowed the articles of impeachment to move to the plenary, members were divided on whether to open or keep sealed the Bureau of Internal Revenue box.

The BIR box contains tax records, including income tax returns, of the vice president and her husband, lawyer Mans Carpio.

The committee voted overwhelmingly, 38–6, to keep the BIR box sealed and exclude its contents as evidence at this stage of the proceedings.

Defensor was among those who voted to open the sealed container, arguing that transparency is crucial in impeachment proceedings.

“Opening these boxes can change the course of our nation. We saw that in 2001, and we must always remember that impeachment is the highest form of national inquest to determine the accountability and fitness of the country’s highest leaders,” he said.

He warned that refusing to open the box could be seen as a “betrayal of public trust,” stressing that lawmakers must be allowed to examine all available evidence.

“We should let Filipinos see what is inside that box and allow the members of this committee to assess whether the evidence strengthens the case against the vice president or supports the respondent’s position that she is innocent,” he emphasized.

He also raised concerns over legal arguments such as the National Internal Revenue Code, which restricts the disclosure of taxpayer information, saying such provisions should not override the Constitution.

“A simple statute should never undermine the highest law of the land, as it would set a bad precedent in the succeeding impeachment proceedings,” he added.

Defensor maintained that the contents of the box could either bolster the evidence against Duterte or lead to her acquittal, potentially shortening the process.

“Public office is a public trust, and I believe that in every move we take, it should always be the Constitution and its supreme spirit that govern our proceedings in the committee,” he stressed.

Garin, who voted to defer opening the sealed box, argued that it is not within the committee’s mandate to open it, noting that the panel is not an impeachment court.

“The thrust of the Committee on Justice is for accountability and transparency to prevail. However, we are not the court. We are not the impeachment court. We are simply determining probable cause based on the complaints,” she said.

“My heart is urging me to open it. But if I listen only to my heart, we may be put in a position that could lead us away from what we are supposed to do. Our hearts can always speak, but our minds should prevail,” she continued.

During the proceedings, Biron asked Melvin Matibag, director of the National Bureau of Investigation, whether the agency had consulted a psychologist or psychiatrist to evaluate the threats allegedly made by Duterte.

“I am asking this question because it is apparent that the vice president has consistently displayed violent behaviors,” he said.

Allegations of death threats made by Duterte against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez form a core component of the impeachment complaints.

Matibag said the psychological assessment of the threats is part of the NBI’s ongoing investigation, noting that the agency has a behavioral science department.

“Until now, we are processing it. In our analysis, we base it on the videos we have seen. First, we authenticate the videos, then we look at the patterns,” he said.

Matibag added that investigators are assessing not only the behavior of the vice president but also that of other members of the Duterte family.

Under the 1987 Philippine Constitution, impeachment complaints must pass the House Committee on Justice before being elevated to the plenary, where at least one-third of all House members must vote to transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate for trial.