By Jose Cielito Reganit
MANILA – Batangas Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro on Wednesday said the latest stance taken by Vice President Sara Duterte’s camp, which says she is prepared to answer only in the Senate, only bolsters the impression that the evidence already laid before the House Committee on Justice is enough to move the impeachment case forward.
“Una, sabi ng mga abogado, handa raw sumagot ang Bise Presidente, handa raw siyang humarap—pero sa Senado. Hindi dito, kundi sa Senado (First, the lawyers said the Vice President is ready to answer, to face the charges – but before the Senate. Not here, but in the Senate),” Luistro said during the resumption of the hearing on the impeachment complaint filed against Duterte.
“Napaisip tuloy tayo: kung doon siya sasagot – hindi ba’t kinikilala na rin niya na meron ng sapat na ebidensya dito, at patungo na talaga sa Senado ang kasong ito (Which made us think: if she will answer there, isn’t she just acknowledging that there is enough evidence here, and the case is really going there)?” Luistro asked.
Luistro said the camp’s reaction, taken as a whole, was telling because, instead of dismantling the numbers already presented to the committee, it effectively shifted the argument to timing, venue, and process.
She said the committee would not be distracted from its constitutional duty by external messaging or pressure, particularly when the path of the evidence was already becoming clearer.
Luistro reminded the committee that the House was not being asked to decide guilt, but only whether the record now contains sufficient basis to allow the constitutional process to proceed.
She, nevertheless, suggested that the Vice President’s own camp may already be conceding the direction of that process by reserving its answer for the trial stage instead of the probable cause stage.
“Our mandate is clear, and our resolve is firm. Guided by the Constitution, anchored on evidence, and faithful to the trust of the Filipino people, and above all, led by the clear voice of our conscience, we shall continue this hearing,” Luistro said.
In the April 22 hearing, the committee entered what she called the territory of “forensic truth,” where official records drove the discussion.
The Ombudsman-confirmed SALNs (Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth) showed Duterte’s net worth rising from PHP34 million in 2016 to PHP88 million in 2024, even as she declared zero cash or cash deposits from 2019 onward.
She said the AMLC (Anti-Money Laundering Council) then confirmed more than 630 covered transactions and 33 suspicious transactions amounting to PHP6.7 billion, while the committee also tested former senator Antonio Trillanes’ documents and found that the transactions randomly selected from his annexes matched official records. (PNA)
