House Lawmakers Say VP Sara Duterte Impeachment Complaint To Be Processed by Lower Chamber
SARA DUTERTE IMPEACHMENT COMPLAINT – The House of Representatives lawmakers say that the lower chamber will process the complaint as it is part of their mandate.
Countless Filipinos were surprised when a House member confirmed an impeachment plan against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte but many people were surprised even more when a complaint has already been filed. There were 16 signatories behind the complaint.
Prior to the filing of an impeachment complaint by 16 individuals which include members of some civil society groups in the country, Pres. Bongbong Marcos has expressed his stand on the impeachment plan against Vice Pres. Duterte.
Despite the tirades of Vice Pres. Duterte against Pres. Bongbong Marcos, the Chief Executive is not in favor of an impeachment plan against the Vice President. He stressed that it will only tie up the Senate and the House of Representatives and will not benefit a single Filipino.
According to Marcos Jr., in a larger scheme, Duterte is “unimportant”. They were running mates in the 2022 Elections but the relationship between them has seemingly turned sour since her resignation as the secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd).
Senator Imee Marcos also disagrees with an impeachment plan against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. Her stand came after the Vice President implicated the Marcos family in the death of the late former Sen. Ninoy Aquino who was shot upon his arrival at the then-Manila International Airport.
On the impeachment complaint filed against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte, there were 16 signatories and one of them is the grandson of Ninoy Aquino, Francis “Kiko” Aquino Dee. He also previously requested to refrain from mentioning their family amid the Marcos-Duterte feud following the remarks of the Vice President accusing the Marcos family over his late grandfather’s death.
Despite the stand of Pres. Bongbong Marcos on the issue, based on a report on GMA News, the Vice Pres. Sara Duterte impeachment complaint will be processed by the House of Representatives. Two (2) House lawmakers stressed that it is part of the mandate of the lower chamber.
According to Bataan 1st District Rep. Geraldine Roman, on a Constitutional point-of-view, processing an impeachment complaint is part of the mandate of the House of Representatives. She stressed that it has to go through the entire process.
“From a purely Constitutional point-of-view, bahagi ito ng mandato ng Kongreso. Kung mayroong nag-file ng impeachment complaint, we have no choice but to process the entire complaint,” Roman said.
The Bataan 1st District Representatives said that the Sara Duterte impeachment complaint has to go through the “filing to the referral to the Justice Committee, to the deliberations, the voting, and if approved, the referral to the Senate”. Based on the report, House Deputy Majority Leader and Tingog party list Rep. Jude Acidre also shared the same remarks with Roman.
Acidre stressed that the House lawmakers are bound on the mandate to act on an impeachment complaint filed with the lower chamber. However, based on the report, the lawmakers are quite worried over the timeline of the processing of the complaint.
“If we start by January, tapos magbbreak ng bandang February at mag-resume, dahil election year, bandang Mayo na, kailan pa?” he said.
Meanwhile, Bataan 1st District Rep. Geraldine Roman assured that the process will be transparent and all sides will be heard. She stressed that due process will be followed.
Former Senator Leila de Lima is the spokesperson of the complainants behind the VP Sara Duterte impeachment complainant. The former Senator believes that it is the “right time” to file an impeachment complaint against the Vice President.