BUKIDNON 2nd District Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores has said the House Committee on Justice could complete the probable cause stage of the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte as early as April and elevate the case to the plenary once Congress resumes session.
Flores, vice chair of the Justice panel, said the committee is now determining probable cause following earlier findings of sufficiency in form, substance and grounds—steps required under House rules before any case can be transmitted to the Senate for trial.
The panel has set hearings on April 14, 22 and 29, but Flores said the timeline could be shortened depending on the pace of the proceedings.
“Well, if it’s done by the 22nd, the third meeting, or on the 14th, then we could present it before the plenary when it comes back,” he said in a Bilyonaryo program interview.
Congress is on recess from March 21 to May 3, but the justice panel has been authorized to continue hearings during the break. Once session resumes, its findings may be reported out for plenary consideration.
Flores stressed that the proceedings are not a trial but part of a preliminary investigation meant to clarify issues, test witnesses, and determine which allegations should be included in any articles of impeachment.
“Under the rules, it says na after determining if there is sufficient grounds, then we have to have a hearing to determine probable cause. So it’s akin to a preliminary investigation,” Flores said.
He added that the rules governing probable cause have long been in place, with only the definition of session days adjusted following the Supreme Court (SC) ruling on the previous impeachment case against Duterte last year.
“‘Yung definition of session days definitely had to adjust because that was the main contention sa ruling ng Supreme Court so ‘yun lang nagbago. For the rest, we still adopted the same rules that we had ever since,” he said.
Flores stated that the hearings also aim to ensure the Senate only hears substantiated allegations.
He cited the case of detained witness Ramil Madriaga, identified as an alleged former “bagman” of the vice president, whose claims are now under scrutiny by the panel.
Madriaga has emerged as a key figure in allegations tied to the handling of confidential funds and related activities under the Office of the Vice President.
The committee will assess Madriaga’s credibility before deciding whether to include his testimony in the case, according to Flores.
He also dismissed concerns over the use of the term “mini-trial,” saying it was merely a label for the next stage of the process and did not reflect the nature of the proceedings.
Flores said Justice panel chair Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro of Batangas did not intend to suggest that the hearings were a full-blown trial, emphasizing that what matters is the committee’s actual work.
“I think what we should control is not the titles that are placed, but what we do in the committee,” Flores said.
