THE House Committee on Justice refused to rush, take shortcuts or abandon its mandate in the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte despite press conferences, Supreme Court (SC) petitions and a complaint before a city prosecutor.
Batangas Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro, chair of the House Committee on Justice, used her May 4 opening statement to defend the integrity of the process as the panel moved to finalize its committee report and articles of impeachment.
“Sinunod natin ang Konstitusyon. Hindi tayo nagmadali; hindi tayo nag-shortcut,” Luistro, a lawyer, stressed.
“We honored the process,” Luistro added.
Luistro said every step of the proceedings was handled with care because the committee was dealing with a constitutional process and allegations against the second highest official of the land.
“Bawat hakbang, bawat salita, bawat ebidensya, hinarap natin nang buong pag-iingat at pananagutan,” Luistro declared.
The committee began its proceedings on March 2 with sufficiency in form, followed by sufficiency in substance on March 4, sufficient grounds on March 18, preliminary matters and subpoenas on March 25 and marathon evidentiary hearings on April 14, April 22 and April 29.
“Our very first hearing was on March 2, where we established sufficiency in form. Sumunod ang March 4 for sufficiency in substance,” Luistro recounted.
“Kaya naman, noong March 18, we determined that the complaints alleged sufficient grounds for impeachment,” Luistro added.
The hearings, according to Luistro, were long, difficult and marked by moments when some answers became clearer while new questions emerged.
“Then came the marathon hearings of April 14, April 22, and April 29. Doon tayo nakinig sa mga resource person natin,” Luistro stated.
“We heard the evidence. We examined the evidence,” Luistro emphasized.
Luistro described the process as demanding but insisted that the panel never lost its direction.
“We certainly had our ups and downs. We had our inflows and outflows of testimonies and documents,” Luistro observed.
“But through it all, one thing remained certain: we never went sideways. Hindi tayo naligaw. Nanatili tayong may direksyon,” Luistro said.
The chair acknowledged that the committee members faced exhaustion and public pressure as the proceedings drew attacks from outside the hearing room.
“Sa paglalakbay na ito, napagod tayo. Sinubok ang ating pasensya, lalo na sa harap ng mga batikos mula sa labas,” Luistro stated.
She cited Duterte’s press conferences, pending Supreme Court petitions and the complaint before the Office of the City Prosecutor as attempts that could have distracted or slowed the committee.
“We saw the press conferences of the Vice President’s camp; we saw the petitions filed in the Supreme Court and the complaint filed in the Office of the City Prosecutor,” Luistro noted.
“Opo, maraming hakbang ang ginawa upang pigilan ang prosesong ito, pero sa kabila ng lahat, hindi tayo natinag,” Luistro maintained.
For Luistro, the committee’s work was defined by discipline under pressure rather than by the absence of resistance.
“For in the end, it is not the absence of struggle that defined us, but the refusal to lose our way, the discipline to stay the course, and the clarity to never lose sight of where we are going,” Luistro declared.
She then reminded members that the Justice Committee carries a special constitutional role unlike any other House panel.
“Tayo ang Committee on Justice,” Luistro stated.
“Bukod-tangi ang Komiteng ito dahil sa buong listahan ng mga Komite sa Kongreso, tayo lamang ang tanging binanggit at binigyan ng partikular na mandato ng ating Konstitusyon,” Luistro explained.
Luistro said the panel had to live up to that constitutional role by ensuring fairness to the complainants, to the Vice President through due process and to the Filipino people through accountability.
“We were given that name for a reason,” Luistro noted.
“Today, we hope we have lived up to that name,” Luistro added.
She described the May 4 hearing as the final step in the committee phase before the matter moves to the plenary.
“Ngayon, May 4, kukumpirmahin natin kung anuman ang mga nangyari noong nakaraan, sa pamamagitan ng isang Committee Report,” Luistro explained.
“Our task is to approve these documents and transmit everything to the Plenary,” Luistro stated.
Luistro urged the committee to continue the process to its proper conclusion, saying public office cannot be shielded from serious allegations by delay or silence.
“Because we owe it to the next generation of Filipinos to show them that no one, no matter how powerful, no matter the title, is above the law,” Luistro stated.
“If the Vice President is guilty, let the truth convict her. If she is innocent, let the process clear her,” Luistro concluded.
