(UPDATE) THE House Committee on Justice will start reviewing on Monday the four impeachment complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte. Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville Luistro, the committee chairman, issued a Feb. 24 notice on the meetings which are set for March 2, 3 and 4. Luistro told the media last week that if the committee finishes the deliberation on form sufficiency on March 2, it will take up substance sufficiency the next day. If the panel does not finish the deliberation on March 2, it can continue the next day. During plenary session on Feb. 23, the House referred the four impeachment complaints to the committee. The last complaint was filed last Feb. 18 by lawyer Nathaniel Cabrera and was endorsed by Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., chairman of the House Committee on Human Rights, and Deputy Speaker and La Union 1st District Rep. Francisco Paolo Ortega V. Cabrera said Article II of the complaint alleges that Duterte “betrayed the public trust and committed acts of graft and corruption by grossly abusing discretionary authority over confidential funds appropriated to the” Office of the Vice President and Department of Education (DepEd) which she led as secretary before she resigned in 2024 from that post. It also alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and other high crimes. The Makabayan bloc of ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio, Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Sarah Elago and Kabataan Rep. Renee Co endorsed the complaint filed by former lawmakers France Castro and Arlene Brosas, among other complainants, who alleged betrayal of public trust in connection with confidential funds. Earlier this month, concerned citizens filed their own complaint, which Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima endorsed. The complaint accused Duterte of misusing confidential funds as vice president and also during her time as DepEd secretary. “We are prepared to confront these allegations squarely through the proper constitutional processes, confident that a fair and impartial review will demonstrate that the accusations are devoid of both factual and legal basis,” Michael Poa, speaking for Duterte’s defense team, said in a statement on the first two complaints. The third complaint, endorsed by de Lima, was filed on Feb. 9. The complainants, which included priests and lawyers, alleged that Duterte violated the Constitution and betrayed public trust in connection with the confidential funds. “We have nothing further to add beyond the statement we issued last week. The filing of additional complaints was anticipated by the Defense Team,” Poa said. “For now, we will continue to closely monitor developments and address these complaints through the appropriate constitutional processes.” The Constitution gives the House the sole authority to initiate impeachment cases and the Senate to try them. Luistro has said that in deliberating the complaints against Duterte, the committee will apply the same procedure and parameters it used in tackling the two impeachment complaints against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The committee dismissed the impeachment complaints against Marcos — a decision the House upheld at the plenary level.