LUISTRO: HOUSE PANEL ENTERS ‘FORENSIC TRUTH’ PHASE IN VP SARA IMPEACH CASE

THE House Committee on Justice on Wednesday moved the impeachment proceedings of Vice President Sara Duterte into a deeper phase centered on financial records, as lawmakers examine whether discrepancies in official documents support a finding of probable cause.

Committee chair Batangas Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro said the panel is now focusing on key data, including Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth, Bureau of Internal Revenue records, and Anti-Money Laundering Council reports, following earlier hearings that produced sworn testimony, audit findings, and forensic analysis.

“This is the part where the numbers have to be studied, compared and analyzed. And numbers, unlike people, do not have motives. Numbers do not lie,” Luistro said in her opening statement.

Luistro said the proceedings have entered what she described as the “territory of forensic truth,” where financial documents will be matched against each other to determine whether inconsistencies exist.

“At dito po nagiging mas mabigat ang usapan. Because when we speak of numbers, we are no longer dealing with opinion, spin, or narrative—we are confronting cold, unyielding facts. Hindi ito napapaki-usapan. Hindi ito natatakot. Hindi ito napipilit magsinungaling. A number either matches—or it does not.”

The panel has already placed on record multiple pieces of evidence from previous hearings, including Commission on Audit findings affirming the disallowance of more than P73 million in confidential funds and additional notices of disallowance, testimony from self-confessed “bagman” Ramil Madriaga,

National Bureau of Investigation findings on questioned signatures, and Philippine Statistics Authority certifications on identities appearing in documents.

“Sa kabuuan, what we saw was not a single piece of evidence—but a body of evidence. Hindi paisa-isa, kundi magkakaugnay,” Luistro said.

She emphasized that the inquiry remains limited to determining probable cause. “Our task, at this stage, is simply to determine probable cause—kung may sapat na batayan upang magpatuloy,” she said.

Luistro said the financial review directly concerns public funds and accountability. “At higit sa lahat, hindi po ito basta numero lamang—pera ito ng taumbayan. Pera ito ng manggagawang Pilipino na araw-araw kumakayod, ng pamilyang nagtitipid para makabayad ng buwis, ng bawat Pilipinong umaasa na ang kanilang ambag ay napupunta sa tama. A peso is either accounted for—or it is missing,” she said.

She added that the committee will rely on sworn testimony and documentary evidence in evaluating the case. “Hindi tayo basta maniniwala sa ingay. We will evaluate everything. Dahil ang katotohanan ay hindi matatagpuan sa mga press release. Ito ay nakasandal sa mga dokumento, at sa mga salaysay na sinumpaan,” Luistro said.

Luistro said the panel will continue to follow the evidence as it determines whether the case should proceed.