IMPEACHED!

The House of Representatives–dominated by President Marcos’ allies–impeached Vice President Sara Duterte during plenary session Wednesday, Feb. 5, the final session day before the midterm elections.

House members did so via the shortcut route—215 of them signed a fourth impeachment complaint containing a reported six articles of impeachment for Duterte’s ouster.

VP ready for the trial

Former presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said the Vice President’s legal team is ready for the impeachment trial.

“She will face the impeachment smilingly, courageously, and competently,” Panelo said.

No less than House Speaker Martin Romualdez carried a motion from Majority Leader Zamboanga City 2nd district Rep. Mannix Dalipe to promptly transmit the duly endorsed and verified complaint to the Senate.

The Senate formally received the verified copies of the impeachment complaint which were delivered by House Secretary General Reginald Velasco to the Upper Chamber at 4:30 p.m.

According to the revised rules of procedure in the Senate, when sitting on impeachment trial, the presiding officer in Duterte’s case will be the Senate president.

The senators, on the other hand, will act as jurors during the impeachment trial. A concurrence of two-thirds of all the members of the Senate is needed to convict the Vice President.

Only 102 signatures or one-third of the current number of sitting congressmen (306) were needed to effect the direct submission of the complaint from the House to the Senate.

Normally, an impeachment complaint has to be declared sufficient in both form and substance by the House Committee on Justice for it to prosper. This could take several hearings.

But the solons were poised to go on a lengthy break after Wednesday’s session in preparation for the May 12 polls. The House won’t reconvene until June 2.

Velasco told reporters on Wednesday, Feb. 5, hours ahead of the plenary session that “yes, we have enough…102 po ang requirement eh (the requirement is 102).”

Named prosecutors in the impeachment of Duterte were Reps. Gerville Luistro, Romeo Acop, Ramon Rodrigo L. Gutierrez, Joel Chua, Raul Angelo “Jil” D. Bongalon, Loreto Acheron, Marcelino Libanan, Arnan C. Panaligan, Ysabel Maria J. Zamora, Lorenz R. Defensor, and Jonathan Keith T. Flores.

Velasco said that the impeachment rap in question was the fourth complaint filed against the Vice President.

“Fourth complaint bale ito (So far, this is the fourth complaint). I think [there are] seven articles [of impeachment].

Referring to the Vice President, the secretary general said “Of course, she has to be tried by the Senate.”

Velasco was interviewed after a caucus of majority members of the House.

Three impeachment complaints were filed against the Vice President last December. All three were endorsed by minority solons.

Wednesday’s plenary session is the last before the May 12 midterm elections.

Support for VP

Panelo believes that the recent move of the House of Representatives to impeach Duterte will only rally more support for her.

In a statement, Panelo said the impeachment was “expected.”

“Having the numbers, railroading the process is a foregone conclusion,” he said on Wednesday, Feb. 5.

Panelo reiterated that the impeachment only aimed to destroy the reputation of the Vice President ahead of the 2028 national elections where she is the leading contender.

However, the former Palace spokesman believes that the impeachment will backfire.

“These lawmakers obviously have not heeded the overwhelming voice of the people opposing the impeachment of the vice president, nor have they respected the wish of PBBM (President Marcos) to foregone such a divisive and non-productive political endeavor that does not benefit a single Filipino,” he said.

“Their move will only galvanize the support of the Filipino people on VP Sara, and will fan the flames of disgust and rage against their willful and brazen violation of the guarantees enshrined in the Constitution,” he added.

This week, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin reiterated that the Vice President’s impeachment was the sole prerogative of Congress.

Sandro Marcos headlines signers

No less than presidential son, Ilocos Norte 1st district Rep. Sandro Marcos led over 200 congressmen in filing the fourth impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 5.

This was revealed by a source after House Secretary General Reginald Velasco confirmed to reporters that the fourth complaint had garnered more than enough signatures for its direct transmittal to the Senate.

Once accomplished, Duterte will become the first Vice President in the country’s history to be impeached by the House of Representatives.

Only one-third of the 306-member chamber is required for this direct transmittal to happen.

The 23-member Senate will subsequently convene into an impeachment trial court–a quasi-judicial body–to determine whether or not Vice President Duterte is guilty based on the articles of impeachment stated in the complaint.

Rep. Marcos is the House senior deputy majority leader.

Transmittal to Senate

Staff members of the Senate Public Information Bureau (PRIB) on Wednesday said they were preparing for the “possible” receipt of the impeachment articles against the Vice President.

On Tuesday, Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero refused to comment on matters regarding the impeachment, stating that he would only discuss the matter once the impeachment complaint reached the upper chamber.

He is scheduled as the guest on Thursday at the Kapihan sa Senado forum.

However, after PRIB spoke with the media, Escudero denied that the Senate was preparing anything regarding the impeachment.

“We cannot and will not assume anything until and unless it is a fact,” he said in a statement.

“The statements made by an over-eager staff was not authorized by me nor was it proper,” he added.

‘Political persecution

Davao City 1st district Rep. Paolo Duterte was enraged by what he called the “desperate and politically-motivated” effort to speed up the ouster of his sister, the Vice President.

Rep. Duterte described the alleged move to secure signatures from the House members as “a clear act of political persecution,” and “sinister.”

He even warned that the Marcos administration was “treading on dangerous ground.”

“If they were unfazed by the over one million rallying supporters of the Iglesia Ni Cristo, then they are blindly marching toward an even greater storm—one that could shake the very foundation of their rule,” Duterte said.

“The Filipino people will not sit idly by as this government undermines democracy and silences opposition through fabricated accusations,” he added.

He also said that the Marcos administration was “gravely mistaken” if it believed that it can push the “sham impeachment without consequence.”

“This is not just about VP Sara Duterte—this is about the will of the Filipino people,” he said.

“The growing discontent and frustration across the country will not be contained for long. Mark my words: this reckless abuse of power will not end in their favor,” he added.

Meanwhile, Iloilo 1^st district Rep. Janette Loreto-Garin denied allegations that she maneuvered the impeachment of the Vice President.

“It’s very malicious. Whoever fed him the info should come out and face me,” she said. (With reports from Argyll Cyrus Geducos, Hannah Torregoza, and Tara Yap)