MANILA — Hearings on the impeachment complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte are expected to continue until May, San Juan Representative Ysabel Maria Zamora said.

A group of lawyers has already questioned the proceedings before the Supreme Court, a move that Duterte said she was not consulted on.

The House Committee on Justice, where Zamora serves as vice chair, has found two complaints against Duterte sufficient in form and substance. The committee is now conducting hearings to determine whether probable cause exists to bring the complaints to the House floor for a vote.

Duterte has denied allegations that she misused confidential funds allocated to the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, which she previously headed, and has also denied threatening President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his family. She described the proceedings as politically motivated in connection with her planned presidential bid in 2028.

“The congressmen have read the complaints, and they believe that we are correct in declaring it to be sufficient in form, sufficient in substance, and that the affidavits or the annexes to the complaints are sufficient to show that there is probable cause. Of course, like we said, we will still have to go through the Committee on Justice hearing to declare probable cause,” Zamora said.

She also dismissed arguments that there is no evidence against Duterte, noting that more supporting documents have been added compared to the vice president’s 2025 impeachment complaints, which the Supreme Court later ruled unconstitutional.

“In fact, there are more pieces of evidence now kasi may nadagdag, may nadagdag na attachments doon sa complaint,” she said, adding that the current complaints are similar to those filed in late 2024 and early 2025.

Duterte did not attend the committee hearing last Wednesday, calling the process a “fishing expedition” and saying the government should prioritize addressing the effects of the Middle East conflict on fuel prices.

Zamora said Duterte may still join the proceedings.

“She may participate, she may participate through her lawyer and we will follow the Constitution, the rules, and afford her, her due process as dictated by the Supreme Court in the Duterte decision,” she said.