November 29, 2024 | 6:11pm
MANILA, Philippines — House leaders clarified on Friday, November 29, that filing an impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte is not part of the lower chamber’s agenda.
However, in the case that a complaint is filed, they said it will be deliberated upon as part of their mandate.
Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr. (Pampanga, 3rd District), Deputy Speaker David “Jay-Jay” Suarez (Quezon, 2nd District) and House Majority Leader Manuel Jose “Mannix” M. Dalipe (Zamboanga, 2nd District) issued a joint statement to address claims that the lower chamber is working to impeach the vice president.
“As we have repeatedly pointed out in media interviews, impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte are not on our agenda,” they said.
While the House of Representatives is conducting an inquiry into the alleged misuse of confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President’s and the Department of Education, the three senior leaders emphasized that the purpose is to “safeguard public trust,” not to find grounds for impeaching Duterte.
“Our institution is duty-bound to serve as a check and balance while safeguarding public trust. The Filipino people deserve answers regarding these serious matters, and we aim to fulfill this responsibility without political distractions or divisiveness,” Gonzales, Suarez and Dalipe said.
Despite the House’s claim that no impeachment talks are underway, Rep. Joel Chua (Manila, 3rd District) earlier said that the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability has identified “possible grounds” for Duterte’s impeachment — including graft, corruption, and betrayal of public trust.
The Makabayan bloc has also been more upfront about their plans of endorsing an impeachment complaint against the vice president.
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Since Filipino citizens have the right to bring an impeachment complaint to Congress, lawmakers said it should be respected and processed appropriately, even if the president asks them not to endorse it.
According to the 1987 Constitution, the lower chamber has the sole authority to initiate an impeachment proceeding.
“This is not just the responsibility of the institution, but also the individual duty of each congressman to uphold the Constitution,” the senior leaders said.
They assured that the deliberation of any impeachment complaint will be “fair” and “transparent.” An impeachment trial in the Senate requires the vote of at least one-third of all House members.
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The joint statement followed President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s confirmation that he had requested lawmakers not to pursue impeachment efforts against Duterte, calling it a “waste of time.”
It also came after Duterte’s no-show at the National Bureau of Investigation on Friday morning, where she had been subpoenaed to explain the death threats she made against Marcos, Liza Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
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The congressional probe into Duterte’s alleged mishandling of confidential funds has flagged hundreds of acknowledgment receipts for typographical errors and “fictitious” names.
The committee also criticized the “overpriced” rental and maintenance of safehouses paid for by the OVP with these funds, as well as the fact that the secret funds were primarily managed by security officers and not the special disbursing officers responsible for it.
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