Leave impeach raps alone, Marcos urged
Deputy Minority Leader France Castro urged President Marcos not to interfere with the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte while calling on Congress to heed Filipinos’ demand for accountability and justice.
“This is not about politics. This is about upholding the principles of good governance and ensuring that public officials remain accountable to the Filipino people,” Castro said.
According to Castro, “Congress has a constitutional duty to process this case immediately. The people deserve accountability and transparency.”
As of Jan. 19, Duterte faces at least three impeachment complaints in the House of Representatives with a fourth one announced, but not yet filed.
The first complaint of 24 articles was filed on Dec. 2, 2024, with the charges divided into four main points: graft and corruption, bribery, betrayal of public trust and “other high crimes.”
The second complaint was filed by 70 activists, led by the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, on Dec. 4, 2024, and alleged “betrayal of public trust” over the illegal use and mishandling of confidential funds.
The Vice President is accused of “gross abuse of discretionary powers” over the P612.5 million in confidential funds.
In congressional hearings, the Philippine Statistics Authority said that while she was education secretary, the Department of Education disbursed Duterte’s confidential funds to hundreds of people with no birth records.
Similar findings were found in the disbursements of the Office of the Vice President’s confidential funds.
The third complaint was filed by a group of religious workers, lawyers and civil society workers on Dec. 19.
Castro said the three complaints raised very serious and consequential issues that are best threshed out in an impeachment trial, which can commence once the complaints are endorsed in the House.
Castro said that should 103 congressmen endorse any of the impeachment complaints this week, it could be forwarded to the Senate.
“The Senate can then promptly tackle this or call for a special session if necessary,” Castro said.
But Mr. Marcos publicly said that an impeachment trial is very divisive although he agreed with former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile that the matter points to serious precedents.
Worsening corruption
But former ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio said: “Accountability should not be set aside due to any technicality or problem … We cannot allow procedural or election matters to obstruct justice.”
He pointed out in Filipino, “That kind of mindset worsens corruption in the country and makes the corrupt happier.”
“When we dismiss accountability for technical reasons, we only embolden corrupt officials and weaken democratic institutions,” Tinio stressed.
The Congress of the Philippines has in fact handled many impeachment processes in the past.
Impeachment complaints were filed, but rejected, against former Presidents Elpidio Quirino (1949), Diosdado Macapagal (1964), Ferdinand E. Marcos (1985), Corazon Aquino (1988), Benigno Aquino III (2014), Rodrigo Duterte (2017) and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008).
The House impeached former President Joseph Estrada for bribery, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, and culpable violation of the Constitution in 2000, but the Senate trial was aborted by the Second Edsa Revolution.
The only completed impeachment process, beyond indictment by the House, was that of unseated Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona in 2011.
