Lawmakers stated that they are entrusting the Department of Justice (DOJ) with determining the criminal liability of Vice President Sara Duterte over the threats she made against Philippine leaders, while the House of Representatives focuses on the impeachment complaints filed against her.
Bataan 1st District Representative Geraldine Roman emphasized the distinct jurisdictions and responsibilities of both the House and the DOJ. She explained that Congress will focus on the impeachment complaints, while the DOJ will handle the potential criminal charges against the Vice President.
“That is a totally separate and independent process, kanya-kanya tayo ng trabaho. Basta as far as we are concerned, we have a mandate to process this impeachment complaint,” Roman said.
“We’re not the ones who are going to tell the Justice Department to do their work. But we should let our government agencies do their work freely, independently, with transparency, with honesty,” she added.
Tingog Partylist Representative Jude Acidre also stressed that while both issues involve the same person, they follow different processes and address different concerns.
“Importante para sa mga tao na maunawaan ang pagkakaiba ng proseso ng DOJ at ‘yung ginagawa ho natin sa Kongreso,” Acidre said.
“Sa DOJ po, ito’y separate na proseso ng ehekutibo, involving the criminal liability ng Vice President. Iba po ito sa impeachment process sa Mababang Kapulungan, which is a politically legislative procedure,” he explained.
The common factor between the two cases being handled by Congress and the DOJ is that both stem from the threats Duterte made against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Lisa Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.