The House committee on justice took up allegations involving Vice President Sara Duterte’s threats against top government officials during its third clarificatory hearing on Wednesday.
Batangas Representative Gerville Luistro said the discussions shifted focus to the vice president’s character and whether she remained fit to hold office.
She said the panel would examine statements attributed to Duterte against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez as part of the proceedings.
Luistro said the issue went beyond discrepancies and raised questions on the conduct expected from a public official.
She also noted that the subject matter included serious allegations involving violence, which required careful examination of statements and available evidence.
The threats were linked to incidents in November 2024, when Duterte visited her detained chief of staff Zuleika Lopez at the House of Representatives.
Records showed that Duterte later stayed inside a relative’s office within the complex and made a series of online broadcasts, including remarks about a supposed plot targeting the president and other officials.
The committee also called on the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to provide details from its inquiry into the matter, as part of ongoing hearings that earlier covered alleged misuse of confidential funds and transactions flagged by financial authorities.