List of House lawmakers supporting VP questioned
A lawmaker on Monday flagged a list circulating on social media of lawmakers who have supposedly withdrawn their support for the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, as a panel of the House of Representatives building the impeachment case unanimously voted on Monday to bring it to the plenary.
The circulation of the list by supporters of Duterte, 47, comes amid Malacañang’s repeated warnings that it would crack down on fake news. In April, the Presidential Communications Office filed a cyberlibel complaint against the administrators of Facebook page Malasakit News Pilipinas, for its posts claiming the government had imposed an energy lockdown.
Last week, a court ordered the arrest of former broadcaster Jay Sonza, in connection with charges of unlawful publication filed against him by the Department of Justice. (See related story on Page A6.)
Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon questioned a “fake name” among the 15 lawmakers who supposedly withdrew their support for Duterte’s impeachment—including at least four members of the House committee on justice which prepared the report detailing the articles of impeachment.
“[I]f the withdrawal [of support] is true, I only have one question—is there a congressman named Bier Rodriguez? None,” said Ridon, himself a member of the House justice panel.
Fund misuse, fictitious names
The committee on Monday unanimously voted to bring the impeachment report to the plenary, capping an inquiry that sought to determine whether the complaints against her should be sent to the Senate for trial.
The report approved by 55 members of the House justice panel details, among other offenses, allegations of misuse of public funds amounting to about P612.5 million.
In the course of that investigation, the House committees on good government and on justice uncovered fictitious names such as Mary Grace Piattos that were listed as recipients of the Vice President’s confidential funds.
There was no word from Duterte on Monday, apart from a reply-affidavit by her lawyer Paolo Panelo disputing the claim of confessed bagman Ramil Madriaga that he was privy to the Vice President’s concerns and other matters.
Plenary debates
Panelo submitted the 47-page affidavit to the Taguig City Prosecutor’s Office where Madriaga, a key witness of the House justice panel, faces a perjury case that Duterte filed in March.
The impeachment report will be sent to the House committee on rules—headed by Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos, House majority leader and the President’s son.
That panel will decide when the report will be taken up for plenary debates.
Ridon said the debates may begin as early as today, May 5, and the 318-member House may decide by next week whether the articles of impeachment against Duterte will be transmitted to the Senate, which will then convene as an impeachment court.
“We will go to plenary, and we will go to trial at the soonest time,” Ridon told reporters after the justice committee’s vote on Monday.
The 31-page report said Duterte had “operated with a manifest sense of impunity, treating the prerogatives of her office not as a shared public trust, but as a personal mandate immune to oversight.”
“Regrettably, the evidence [against her] reveals a pattern of conduct characterized by a disdain for institutional regularities, contempt of established norms, and a persistent defiance of the checks and balances that govern a democratic state,” it added.
Besides misuse of public funds, the other three complaints in the impeachment report are bribery, unexplained wealth, and Duterte’s death threat against President Marcos, first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former Speaker Martin Romualdez, the President’s cousin.
‘Just one article’
“Even if just one article is upheld and Vice President Sara Duterte is convicted, that would be enough to remove her from office and permanently disqualify her from holding public office again,” said Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima, a signatory to the report.
“The case is secure because it’s supported by evidence and facts,” De Lima said. “That’s why it was a unanimous vote, that means the case is strong, that the articles of impeachment are strong.”
Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro, chair of the House justice panel, said “This committee has completed its constitutional duty to determine probable cause based on the evidence presented.”
“We are dealing with official records—not opinions, not speculation,” Luistro said. “These are numbers, documents, and sworn testimonies that, taken together, establish a pattern that demands accountability.”
At least 106 House lawmakers must back the impeachment report before its transmittal to the Senate—where 16 votes or two-thirds of that chamber, convening as an impeachment court, are needed to convict the Vice President.
Prompt action
According to Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, the Senate will convene once the articles of impeachment are transmitted.
“We need to follow the Constitution, which is to convene. It’s that simple,” Sotto said in an interview with dzBB on Monday. “That is part of our job as senators.”
He said the Vice President was not compelled to face trial, even as he recommended her attendance.
“There is nothing in our rules that compels her attendance, but maybe she should attend [her trial],” Sotto said.
Sen. Robinhood Padilla, a leading ally of Duterte, said the minority bloc would oppose the Senate’s convening into an impeachment court. This position is a “natural part of parliamentary tradition,” he said.
Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice questioned the impeachment campaign against Duterte, describing it as a power struggle between estranged allies more than a call for accountability.
“Let us not pretend what we are witnessing is not a principled process but a bitter conflict between former allies, a struggle for supremacy between political dynasties,” Erice told reporters after the House justice panel’s vote.
“This is not about accountability. This is about partisan politics.” —WITH REPORTS FROM JOHN ERIC MENDOZA, MAILA AGER AND TINA G. SANTOS
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