{"id":827490,"date":"2025-02-16T12:12:42","date_gmt":"2025-02-16T18:12:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/16\/lawmakers-trying-to-fast-track-3-impeach-complaints-vs-sara\/"},"modified":"2025-02-16T12:12:42","modified_gmt":"2025-02-16T18:12:42","slug":"lawmakers-trying-to-fast-track-3-impeach-complaints-vs-sara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/16\/lawmakers-trying-to-fast-track-3-impeach-complaints-vs-sara\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Lawmakers trying to fast-track 3 impeach complaints vs Sara\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Delon Porcalla<\/a> – The Philippine Star<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

February 4, 2025 | 12:00am<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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MANILA, Philippines \u2014 With time running out, officials and members of the House of Representatives are trying to expedite the handling of three impeachment complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte, an administrative official of the chamber said yesterday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are still looking for the fast-track process, which will override these requirements (for impeachment),\u201d House secretary-general Reginald Velasco told reporters in a chance interview.<\/p>\n

He pointed out that should at least 103 congressmen sign one of three impeachment complaints, then any more House deliberations would be dispensed with.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen it goes directly to the Senate. It doesn\u2019t have to go through the House committee on justice,\u201d Velasco explained.<\/p>\n

He said there may no longer be a fourth impeachment complaint against the daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte, but this doesn\u2019t necessarily mean she\u2019s off the hook, especially when 103 legislators endorse the suit.<\/p>\n

By then, the Senate will be forced to form itself into an impeachment court.<\/p>\n

Congress will be having its break on Feb. 7 to give way to the campaign period of congressmen running in their districts, as well as lawmakers representing party-list groups, along with 12 members of the Senate who will all be elected on May 12 this year.<\/p>\n

Velasco, nevertheless, acknowledged that the three impeachment complaints are in his office, and vowed to act on them any time this week, which may finally be referred to the office of Speaker Martin Romualdez.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe complaints are still with me, but we have to act on it this week. We will act on it this week,\u201d he said, adding they are also giving other potential complainants more time to file their impeachment suits and \u201ctransmit the impeachment complaints within this week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Velasco also disclosed that the lack of endorsers ties the hands of lawmakers to make the impeachment complaints prosper. \u201cWe have yet to receive additional endorsers from the ranks of congressmen on the three impeachment complaints.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aside from the fact that it\u2019s already campaign fever and elections are just around the corner, Velasco admitted that the absence of additional endorsers from the ranks of congressmen has left the impeachment complaints against Duterte untouched.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no instruction to me to delay the impeachment complaints,\u201d he clarified.<\/p>\n

\u2018Palace won\u2019t interfere\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Malaca\u00f1ang is keeping its hands off the efforts to impeach the Vice President, saying the House of Representatives has the say on the matter.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe power to initiate and act on impeachment complaints is the sole prerogative of the House of Representatives,\u201d Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said in a statement issued yesterday.<\/p>\n

President Marcos is opposed to the impeachment of Duterte, saying it\u00a0is just a waste\u00a0of time and will not make any difference in the lives of Filipinos.<\/p>\n

Third impeach raps endorsed<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Before Christmas in December 2024, a representative of the third district of Camarines Sur endorsed the third impeachment complaint filed against Duterte before the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis decision is not made lightly, but with a deep sense of responsibility to ensure accountability at the highest levels of government,\u201d Rep. Gabriel Bordado Jr. of the once-powerful Liberal Party said, joining other militant groups in calling for Duterte\u2019s immediate impeachment.<\/p>\n

The Bicolano lawmaker\u2019s decision to endorse stemmed from, among others, Duterte\u2019s public meltdown in November 2024, where she threatened to have Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta and Romualdez killed.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuch conduct undermines public trust, threatens the stability of our democratic system and sets a dangerous precedent for behavior unbecoming of a public official,\u201d Bordado, an assistant minority leader in the House\u2019s official opposition bloc, explained.<\/p>\n

The latest impeachment complaint, spearheaded by a coalition of Catholic priests and civil society groups, accuses Duterte of undermining democratic principles, violating public trust and betraying the Constitution.<\/p>\n

In a statement, Bordado stressed the gravity of the decision, emphasizing the need to uphold the rule of law and protect the integrity of democratic institutions.<\/p>\n

He cited several contentious actions and statements by Duterte as grounds for impeachment.<\/p>\n

Among these are her alleged incendiary remarks, including threats against the President, his family and the House Speaker, which he described as \u201cdeeply troubling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bordado also pointed to Duterte\u2019s refusal to appear before legislative inquiries into allegations of fund misuse and her abrupt resignation as education secretary. He argued that these actions have further eroded confidence in her capacity to serve with transparency and integrity.<\/p>\n

The complaint, co-endorsed by Deputy Minority Leader Lex Colada of the AAMBIS-OWA party-list, describes the Vice President\u2019s actions as destabilizing and contrary to constitutional mandates. The complainants asserted that impeachment is both a constitutional and moral obligation of Congress.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer inflammatory statements and apparent disregard for transparency and due process constitute grounds for impeachment,\u201d Bordado stated, adding that the move is not a partisan attack, but a constitutional mechanism to address significant breaches of public trust.<\/p>\n

Bordado joins other progressive lawmakers, including Reps. France Castro (ACT Teachers), Arlene Brosas (Gabriela) and Raoul Manuel (Kabataan), in urging Congress to act decisively.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one \u2013 regardless of rank or political influence \u2013 is above the law,\u201d he asserted. \u2014 Alexis Romero, Emmanuel Tupas<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Margarett Mcnaught
Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Delon Porcalla – The Philippine Star February 4, 2025 | 12:00am MANILA, Philippines \u2014 With time running out, officials and members of the House of Representatives are trying to expedite the handling of three impeachment complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte, an administrative official of the chamber said yesterday. \u201cWe are still looking for<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":827491,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4151,1446],"tags":[6101,5548],"class_list":{"0":"post-827490","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-lawmakers","8":"category-trying","9":"tag-lawmakers","10":"tag-trying"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/827490","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=827490"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/827490\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/827491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=827490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=827490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=827490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}