House Justice Committee Finds Probable Cause to Impeach Sara Duterte with Unanimous Vote

Following the Impeachment Hearings, House Justice Committee Finds Probable Cause to Impeach VP Sara Duterte

The House Justice Committee, through a unanimous vote, found a probable cause to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte.

Amid the allegations against the Vice President, VP Sara Duterte’s camp said they are not only after winning but also showing the Filipino people that she is not corrupt. Duterte has repeatedly snubbed the impeachment hearings set by the House Committee on Justice.

The House Justice Committee continued with the impeachment proceedings amid the congressional recess. Two (2) impeachment raps filed against the Vice President were found sufficient in form, substance, and grounds.

Duterte remains questioned about the alleged misuse of the P625-million confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) when she was the education secretary.

Here are some of the grounds raised against Duterte in the impeachment complaints filed against her:

• Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes in amassing and converting the amount over PHP 500 million confidential funds (CF) allocated to the Office of the Vice President from 2022 to 2023
• Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes in amassing and converting the amount of not less than PHP 112.5 million of confidential funds allocated to the Department of Education (DepEd) for the year 2023
• Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust by corrupting and bribing officials of the DepEd
• Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes in contracting to murder or assassinate the president, the first lady, and the former speaker of the House
• Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust in amassing unexplained wealth and failing to disclose all her properties and interests in properties in her SALN
• Alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust in committing acts of  political destabilization and the high crimes of sedition and insurrection

Amid the absence of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte in the impeachment hearings conducted by the House Justice Committee, her camp believes that the Senate impeachment trial is the “proper forum” to respond to the allegations against the Vice President.

Atty. Michael Poa, the spokesperson of the legal team of the Vice President, also said that Duterte is not mandated to personally appear at the impeachment hearings. Recently, the House Justice Committee found probable cause to impeach Vice Pres. Sara Duterte.

Based on a report on GMA News, via a unanimous vote, the House Justice Committee found probable cause to impeach Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. All 53 members of the panel present during the voting affirmed finding probable cause to impeach the Vice President.

Based on the report, the House Justice Committee made the decision after 4 impeachment hearings found the following:

• Detainee Ramil Madriaga’s account of disbursing P125 million worth of confidential funds of the Vice President within 24 hours with cash deliveries in Laguna, Quezon City, and the Office of the Ombudsman

• Madriaga signing a bank waiver to prove that he has nothing to hide

• Madriaga alleging that the Vice President’s election campaign may have been financed by Pharmally which has been linked to anomalous government procurement 

• the Commission on Audit (COA) revealing that the notice of disallowance on the P73 million confidential fund in 2022 was upheld by the COA commission proper

• The NBI representatives testifying on signatures in the acknowledgment receipts of recipients of confidential funds

• COA’s Gloria Camora, a lawyer of COA’s Intelligence and Confidential Funds Audit Office, confirming that COA also issued three notices of disallowance on three releases of confidential funds for the OVP in 2023 worth P125 million each or P375 million in total 

• the testimonies of various resource persons, regarding the “envelopes” and the questionable receipts, and other statements

• the Philippine Statistics Authority testifying that recipients of confidential funds, such as Mary Grace Piattos, Milky Secuya, and Kokoy Villamin do not have records in the country’s civil registry

• the Vice President not declaring any cash on hand or in bank under her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth from 2019 to 2024

• the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) report flagging P6.7 billion worth of bank transactions of the Vice President and her husband, Manases Carpio, as covered and suspicious transactions from 2006 to 2025, with inflow standing at P4.425 billion and outflow at P1.55 billion

• the AMLC report revealed that there is a derogatory record for the Vice President and her husband

• the AMLC report showing that Vice President was the subject of suspicion in 27 confidential reports dated August 2, 2024 to January 29, 2026  due to suspected activities involving drug trafficking and related  offenses, graft and corrupt practices, and malversation of public funds and property in connection with the House Quad Committee hearing on former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, news reports alleging the involvement of the Vice President’s husband in the P6.4 billion shabu importation in 2017 and the news reports on the Vice President’s alleged misuse of confidential funds

• the AMLC report showing that her husband, Atty. Carpio, as subject of suspicion in 17 confidential reports from September 14, 2017 to April 25, 2025 due to suspected activities involving drug trafficking and related offenses, and malversation of public funds and property “in connection with the news reports on alleged his involvement in the PP6.4 billion shabu importation in 2017 and news articles in relation to his wife, VP Sara’s, alleged misuse of confidential/intelligence funds”

• the AMLC confirmation that at least 18 bank transactions linked to Vice President Sara Duterte and her family members, as cited in the affidavit of former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, match records of covered and suspicious transaction reports

• the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) findings that the video of a press conference showing Vice President Duterte making a threat to kill President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his family members in certain circumstances constitutes inciting to sedition and three counts of grave threat, among others. 

Previously, the lawyer of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte clarified why the Vice President has not declared any cash on hand in her SALN (Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth).