MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte’s legal team on Tuesday accused the House Committee on Justice of applying “double standards” in handling impeachment complaints against her.
Atty. Michael Poa, spokesperson for Duterte’s defense team, claimed that the panel treated her case differently from that of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., despite both officials facing allegations under similar circumstances.
“Double standards should not exist. We are not saying the standards themselves are wrong. What we are saying is that it is improper to apply different standards when two officials face impeachment on equal footing,” Poa said in one media source.
DISCREPANCIES IN HANDLING IMPEACHMENT COMPLAINTS
Impeachment complaints against Marcos were dismissed in February over corruption allegations linked to bogus flood control projects, deemed insufficient in substance.
Meanwhile, complaints against Duterte, accusing her of graft, corruption, and making a death threat against Marcos, were earlier this month declared sufficient in substance by the panel.
Poa also questioned whether certain alleged offenses attributed to Duterte could form the basis for impeachment without any prior court rulings.
He pointed out that some hearings on Marcos’ complaints discussed issues such as alleged budget violations and the kidnapping allegations linked to former President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest at the International Criminal Court in March 2025, despite the lack of final court decisions.
In a formal reply to the House Committee on Justice, Duterte’s camp requested the dismissal of the complaints, citing the absence of conclusive facts, a violation of her right to due process, and the purported “double standards” of the panel.
Committee members, including Chairperson Gerville Luistro, have previously defended the proceedings, asserting that Duterte’s complaints were evaluated using the same criteria as those against Marcos.
FOR CONTEXT
The House Committee on Justice is tasked with assessing the sufficiency of impeachment complaints filed against public officials. Impeachment complaints must pass two thresholds: sufficiency in form (technical correctness) and sufficiency in substance (merit of the allegations).
Sara Duterte, Vice President since 2022, has faced multiple impeachment complaints related to her political and official actions. Meanwhile, President Marcos Jr. has also faced complaints, including allegations of corruption in flood control projects.
Discrepancies in the handling of these cases have sparked debates on fairness and procedural consistency within the Philippine Congress.