The House Justice Committee said it is prepared to wait for Vice President Sara Duterte as the impeachment proceedings against her are set to begin tomorrow, March 25.

Justice Committee Chair Gerville Luistro confirmed that, as of now, the committee has yet to receive any formal notice on whether the vice president will attend. She assured that the committee would continue to send invitations and is committed to conducting the hearings regardless of her attendance.

She emphasized the importance of her participation, noting that the hearings are the venue for presenting evidence and for VP Duterte to directly respond to allegations concerning the long-standing issue of confidential funds. She also added that the public deserves to hear Duterte's side and have all questions addressed.

Luistro also previously warned that if VP Duterte skips the hearings, the transmission of impeachment complaints could be expedited. Without her presence, counter-evidence cannot be presented, potentially leading to the immediate referral of the complaints to the Senate, which will act as the impeachment court.

On March 18, the committee declared the third and fourth impeachment complaints against VP Duterte “sufficient in grounds,” moving the process closer to formal Senate proceedings. The hearing tomorrow marks a critical step in allowing the vice president to respond publicly to the accusations.