A fourth impeachment complaint may be filed against Vice President Sara Duterte next week, House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said on Thursday.
Velasco said some House members have asked for more time before he refers the impeachment complaints against Duterte.
“If they file it on Monday, I will have to make a decision whether I will then refer it to the Speaker or delay it further,” Velasco said.
“Because, again, I’ll refer this to the Legal Department for study if there will be a fourth complaint,” he added.
The Office of the Secretary-General is verifying the three impeachment complaints already filed against the Vice President.
Velasco said 10 to 12 House members from both the majority and minority have hinted that they were planning to endorse one of the three impeachment raps.
He refused to name them.
ACT Teachers Partylist Rep France Castro said the Makabayan Bloc is planning to call a meeting of all impeachment complainants and endorsers.
Aside from the ACT Teachers Partylist, the Gabriela Women’s Party and the Kabataan Partylist are also part of the Makabayan Bloc. They endorsed the second impeachment complaint.
She said they planned to hold the meeting in the second or third week of January.
“Ang hirap na patagalin pa yan, na nakita naman na natin yung ginawa talaga ni Sara Duterte doon sa mga mamamayang Pilipino, sa pondo,” Castro said.
“Tapos hindi rin naman talaga siya fit doon sa kanyang katungkulan as Vice President sa mga pinagagawa niya,” she added.
(This should no longer be delayed because we saw what Sara Duterte did to the people and the funds. She’s also not fit to be Vice President because of what she did.)
Sara Duterte has said that she didn’t break any law and was willing to face the complaints filed against her.
She said her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, will be one of her lawyers for the three impeachment complaints she is facing.
“Well, I am confident that I did not break any law. I did not do anything illegal,” Sara Duterte said.
“Kapag nandiyan na ang kaso, haharapin pa rin namin,” she added.
(When the cases are there, then we will face it.)
Duterte is currently facing three impeachment complaints over the alleged misuse of P612 million confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President.
Castro said the bloc was planning to hold a mobilization this month to push for the impeachment.
“Kulang na lang sabihin ko, i-pressure ang Marcos administration para mabago yung kanyang position dun sa impeachment,” Castro said.
(This is short of saying, pressure the Marcos administration so he would change his position on the impeachment.)
GMA Integrated News sought comment from Akbayan Partylist, which filed the first impeachment complaint.
The lawyer for the complainants in the third impeachment complaint said they were willing to meet with the other complainants and endorsers.
“We don’t know each other, the other sets of complainants. We don’t know each other. But since we are bound by a common cause, why not? We are willing, very much willing to meet with them because we have only one goal,” Atty Amando Virgil Ligutan said.
On the possibility of a fourth impeachment complaint being filed, Ligutan said, “Not surprising if there will be a fourth impeachment complaint, considering the gravity of the accusations against the Vice President and considering the outcomes that the public saw during the committee hearings in the House of Representatives.” —NB, GMA Integrated News
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