President, VP may soon face impeachment bid
The country’s two highest officials may face impeachment complaints before the House of Representatives by February.
Senior House Deputy Minority Leader Rep. Edgar Erice claimed on Sunday some lawmakers are planning to file an impeachment complaint against President Marcos for “betrayal of public trust,” among others.
This may coincide with the filing of a fresh impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte after the Supreme Court ruled that charges made last year were unconstitutional. The one-year ban on filing a complaint against her ends on Feb. 6.
“It may be an exciting February for the House, because based on what I have been hearing, discussions are not limited to the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte,” Erice said in an interview with dzRH.
“There are also congressmen who are planning to file an impeachment complaint against President Marcos. Thus, there are two developments that we should closely monitor,” he added.
He said some members of groups who are “pro-Vice President” called him to ask if he could endorse an impeachment complaint against Mr. Marcos. But he declined, citing the new Supreme Court ruling compelling all impeachment complaints to be referred to the House committee on justice within three session days.
Budget insertions
Erice said these lawmakers want to impeach Mr. Marcos for allegedly being complicit in the budget insertions made by Cabinet members and his allies in Congress and for enacting these corruption-riddled budget laws from 2023 to 2025.
“What I see is a betrayal of public trust because, for three years, he more or less allowed Congress to desecrate his budget. He did not speak up,” the Caloocan lawmaker said. “It can be considered a gross inexcusable negligence which is one of the grounds for [betrayal of] public trust.”
“There are allegations that members of his Cabinet also got involved in insertions, diversions, and amendments—the defilement of the budget that ended up funding anomalous projects,” he added.
In November, Mr. Marcos accepted the courtesy resignations of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman after they were dragged into the corruption scandal. Both officials had denied their involvement and Bersamin denied he volunteered to resign.
‘Rumors, speculation’
Two lawmakers, on the other hand, said any impeachment case against the President must meet the standards set by the 1987 Constitution and not be driven by speculation or partisan pressure.
“Any impeachment complaint must be supported by clear facts and solid proof. Anything less will not pass constitutional scrutiny,” Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said in a statement.
“Impeachment is a serious constitutional process. It cannot be based on rumors, speculation, or political talk. [It] should never be used as a political tool. It exists for grave and provable offenses, not for creating noise,” he said.
House Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V said in his statement: “Impeachment is not a press release. It is a constitutional process that demands proof.”
“We will examine any complaint based on the Constitution and evidence—nothing more, nothing less,” he said.
‘Political maneuverings’
Malacañang dismissed the impeachment rumors as another political maneuvering.
“At this point, these are unsubstantiated statements allegedly coming from the supporters of a certain politician,” Palace press officer Claire Castro told reporters in a message on Sunday.
“[The President] respects the existing constitutional processes and believes that any actions taken by members of Congress will be driven by facts, the law, and national interest,” she said. “The administration will not speculate on rumors or political maneuverings.”
Castro said the President would rather focus on working to produce results that would benefit the Filipino people.
Should an impeachment complaint be filed against Mr. Marcos, it would be reviewed by the House committee on justice, currently chaired by Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro, if it is sufficient in form and substance.
After hurdling the committee level, the complaint must secure votes from one-third of House members before it can be referred to the Senate, which shall then conduct the impeachment trial. —WITH A REPORT FROM ZACARIAN SARAO
