LIST: House panel members who approved Duterte impeachment articles

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives’ committee on justice on Monday unanimously approved the committee report containing the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte, with all 55 lawmakers present voting in favor of the motion.

Sources within the House, who asked not to be named, provided reporters with a list of the 55 committee members who voted in the affirmative:

• Baguio Rep. Mauricio Domogan
• FPJ Panday Bayanihan party-list Rep. Brian Poe
• Palawan Rep. Jose Alvarez
• Bukidnon Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores
• San Juan Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora
• Pinoy Workers party-list Rep. Franz Vincent Legazpi
• Butuan City Rep. Joboy Aquino
• Manila Rep. Joel Chua
• Manila Rep. Ernesto Dionisio Jr.
• Cagayan de Oro Rep. Lordan Suan
• Quezon City Rep. Patric Michael Vargas
• Nueva Ecija Rep. Emerson Pascual
• Sulu Rep. Munir Arbison
• Negros Oriental Rep. Janice Degamo
• Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante
• Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre
• Surigao del Norte Rep. Bernadette Barbers
• 1-Rider party-list Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez 
• Laguna Rep. Ann Matibag 
• GP party-list Rep. Jan Padiernos
• Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon
• LPGMA party-list Rep. Allan Ty
• Kabataan party-list Rep. Renee Co
• Akbayan party-list Rep. Chel Diokno 
• Gabriela party-list Rep. Sarah Elago
• Negros Occidental Rep. Javi Benitez
• Deputy Speaker Janette Garin
• Deputy Speaker Yasser Alonto Balindong
• Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V
• Deputy Speaker Jefferson Khonghun 
• Deputy Speaker Ferjenel Biron
• Deputy Speaker Raymond Democrito Mendoza
• Deputy Speaker Yevgeny Emano
• Deputy Speaker Jayjay Suarez
• Deputy Speaker Albee Benitez
• Zambales Rep. Doris Maniquiz 
• Senior Deputy Majority Leader Lorenz Defensor
• Iloilo City Rep. Julienne Baronda
• Cotabato Rep. Ma. Alana Samantha Taliño-Santos
• Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong
• Pampanga Rep. Michaela Gonzales
• Capiz Rep. Howard Guintu
• Palawan Rep. Gil Acosta 
• Leyte Rep. Anna Victoria Veloso-Tuazon 
• Cavite Rep. Crispin Diego Remulla
• TGP party-list Rep. Jose Teves Jr. 
• Kapuso PM party-list Rep. Munir Arbison Jr.
• Eastern Samar Rep. Christopher Sheen Gonzales
• Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila Delima
• Samar Rep. Stephen James Tan
• Akbayan party-list Rep. Percival Cendaña
• ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio
• Samar Rep. Reynolds Michael Tan
• Santa Rosa City Rep. Roy Gonzales
• Alona party-list Rep. Ma. Cristina Talavera-Lopez

Some of the lawmakers who voted in favor of the committee report were initially rumored to be withdrawing their support for Duterte’s impeachment.

Over the weekend, pro-Duterte bloggers posted on social media the following names as among those who supposedly no longer wanted to affix their names and signatures to the committee report containing the articles of impeachment:

• Domogan
• Alvarez
• Pascual
• Emano
• Acosta
• Veloso-Tuazon

Earlier, Ridon assailed the list for containing a fake name. In a statement on Monday, Ridon asked why one of the lawmakers was named “Bier Rodriguez” if the list is accurate.

READ: Ridon: ‘List’ of solons withdrawing impeachment support bears fake name

Currently, there are only three House members of the 20th Congress with the surname Rodriguez: Catanduanes Rep. Eulogio Rodriguez, Abamin party-list Rep. Maximo Rodriguez Jr., and Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez.

During the committee hearing, Suarez moved to approve the amended report, which also contains the articles of impeachment against the Vice President.

Committee Chairperson and Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro asked for a nominal vote even if the report had already been unanimously approved. According to Luistro, 55 out of 55 members present voted in favor of the committee report.

With the approval, the committee report will be filed before the House’s Bills and Index Division. It will then be sent to the House committee on rules, which will be responsible for including the matter in the order of business at the House plenary.

Once it is brought up for consideration at the plenary, it will be sponsored by the committee’s officials and may be contested by other members of the House who failed to scrutinize the complaints when they were still with the committee on justice.

Before Monday’s hearing, the committee conducted eight hearings. From March 2 to 4, the committee discussed the sufficiency of the complaints in form and substance.

After the committee deemed the complaints sufficient in form and substance, it sent formal notices to Duterte to give her camp the chance to answer the allegations.

On March 16, Duterte beat the deadline and submitted a consolidated answer ad cautelam, but complainants deemed it a non-answer.

When the complainants said they would no longer reply to Duterte’s answer, the committee, on March 18, proceeded to determine the sufficiency of the grounds mentioned. After sufficient grounds were established, the committee held a hearing on March 25 to issue subpoenas for potential witnesses and documents that may be used as evidence.

Three clarificatory hearings were held. On April 14, the committee tackled allegations of confidential fund misuse and claims made by Duterte’s former aide, Ramil Madriaga.

On April 22, allegations of unexplained wealth and failure to fully disclose her assets in the Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth were discussed.

On April 29, the committee discussed Duterte’s alleged threats against ranking officials, including President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.

On the same day, the justice panel unanimously voted in favor of motions declaring the existence of probable cause.

The secretariat said all 53 members present voted in the affirmative.

READ: House justice panel finds probable cause to impeach Sara Duterte

According to Luistro, the plenary session on May 11 could be the day for House members to determine whether they will approve or reject the committee report. /mcm