THE House Committee on Justice on Wednesday streamlined its impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte by adopting a sequence of issues for its April 14 hearing.
The panel, chaired by Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro of Batangas, acted on a proposal by Deputy Speaker Jay Khonghun of Zambales to organize the presentation of evidence and jointly tackle the two remaining complaints—the Saballa and Cabrera complaints.
Khonghun proposed grouping common allegations to guide the panel’s determination of probable cause, citing overlapping evidence and witnesses.
“For the purpose of our next hearing on April 14, the Committee should consider adopting the sequence of the grounds… and receive the evidence for both impeachment complaints jointly, considering that they may have common evidence,” Khonghun said.
He outlined a structured sequence beginning with allegations tied to the misuse of confidential funds, followed by issues involving the Department of Education (DepEd), and then bribery and corruption-related charges.
The sequence was clarified during interpellation by ML Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, who endorsed the Saballa complaint and confirmed that the order aligns with the grounds cited in the complaint.
Luistro confirmed the sequence, with Khonghun affirming it would guide the panel’s determination of probable cause.
De Lima welcomed the clarification, saying the order matches the complainants’ planned presentation of evidence, particularly on confidential funds and alleged bribery.
The move is expected to expedite proceedings by consolidating discussions and avoiding duplication as hearings shift to the probable cause phase.
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