Defensor: All lawmakers given Sara Duterte impeachment articles

MANILA, Philippines — House Senior Deputy Majority Leader Lorenz Defensor of Iloilo on Thursday said the House of Representatives has fully complied with the Supreme Court’s (SC) guidance on due process in the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte, with all lawmakers now furnished copies of the committee report and Articles of Impeachment ahead of plenary action next week.

Defensor said the move was in line with the high court’s ruling on the 2025 impeachment proceedings against Duterte, which emphasized the need to observe due process.

“In their decision, although we said that if congressmen had already signed, it should have been sent up directly, they said we did not observe due process. Now, the House of Representatives is being very careful. We followed every instruction,” Defensor told “The Spokes” program on Bilyonaryo News Channel.

READ: Defensor hopes SC will review impeachment decision in future

The Iloilo leader was referring to the House’s earlier position that once the constitutionally required one-third of all lawmakers sign the Articles of Impeachment, the case should automatically proceed to the Senate for trial.

He said the chamber is now taking extra steps to ensure full compliance with the high tribunal’s guidance on due process.

The House Committee on Rules, where Defensor serves as vice chair, had already included the Justice panel report in the Calendar of Business, allowing it to be taken up by the plenary anytime during next week’s session.

Defensor said all House members had already received copies of the impeachment materials in both printed and digital form.

The Iloilo lawmaker said the impeachment document runs around 93 pages, but stressed that the House committee on justice prepared summaries for every article and allegation to make the material easier to understand for lawmakers and the public alike.

“Every allegation or article has a summary … The Committee on Justice prepared it and ensured that every congressman, lawyer or not, would understand the Articles of Impeachment. The public will understand,” he said.

Defensor also underscored the transparency of the impeachment proceedings, saying the justice committee withheld no evidence or records from public scrutiny throughout the hearings.

“I’m sure the committee has made them available because the public should also see them. But if you look at the impeachment hearings, no document was hidden,” he said.

The House committee on justice earlier found probable cause to impeach Duterte after weeks of hearings and later adopted the committee report, resolution, and Articles of Impeachment against her, which the House plenary is expected to vote on May 11.

The Articles of Impeachment stem from findings involving the alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential and intelligence funds, as well as alleged bribery and corruption of Department of Education officials.

The articles also cite alleged unexplained wealth and discrepancies in the Vice President’s Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth; Anti-Money Laundering Council-flagged transactions amounting to P6.77 billion; and her alleged threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez.