The legal team of Vice President Sara Duterte on Thursday, April 30, dismissed the proceedings of the House Committee on Justice, insisting that the evidence presented against her fails to establish probable cause.
In a statement, lawyer Paul Lawrence Lim, counsel for the Vice President in the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) complaint, said the allegations—including inciting to sedition and grave threats—rest on “weak and questionable grounds” and cannot support prosecution.
“These cannot be the foundation for probable cause, much less a prima facie case with reasonable certainty of conviction,” Lim stressed.
“Simply repeating a conclusion, no matter how vehemently, does not make it true.”
Lim argued that the materials shown during the hearing were “curated” and “spliced,” with context ignored and opinion substituted for facts.
He described attempts to link Duterte to alleged remarks against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as speculative, requiring a “gigantic leap in logic” and violating basic evidentiary principles.
The defense team further characterized the inquiry as a “fishing expedition” designed to give the appearance of substance to what they called defective impeachment complaints.
With the hearings concluded, Duterte’s camp said the matter will now be addressed in proper legal venues, where they expect evidence—not conjecture—to guide judgment. (Merlina Hernando-Malipot)
