Manila, Philippines – Lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc are seeking the inclusion of their impeachment complaint – the second in a string of suits against President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. – in the order of business as House lawmakers resume session today, Jan. 26, after a month-long break.
ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio, Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Sarah Jane Elago and Kabataan Rep. Renee Co led Monday’s second attempt by left-wing group BAYAN to file an impeachment complaint after failing last week to get past first screening.
House Secretary General Cheloy Garafil personally received the complaint this time after her staff last week rejected the submission citing lack of authority.
But Tinio said the group faces a new hurdle: The absence of a guarantee from Garafil that their suit will be referred to the House leadership today, Monday, for inclusion in the order of business when the plenary convenes this afternoon.
“Wala nang duda rito, filed and received by the Office of the Secretary General,” Tinio told journalists at the Batasang Pambansa.
“Inaasahan natin ngayong natanggap na niya immediate referral to the Speaker. However, hindi tayo nakakuha ng definite commitment kay Secretary General na ire-refer niya kaagad kay Speaker ang complaint. So hindi natin malaman kung bakit,” he added.
[TRANSLATION:
There is no doubt now that this has been filed and received by the Office of the Secretary General.
We expect that there will be an immediate referral to the Speaker.
However, we did not get a definite commitment from the Secretary General that she will immediately refer this complaint to the Speaker. We do not understand why.]
Garafil’s office has yet to respond to a request for comment.
Missing today’s plenary referral could mean shelving the second suit, and being outcompeted by a first impeachment complaint in the race to be tackled by the House committee on justice – a crucial tipping point where the one-year ban against more suits against the president will be triggered.
“She can only commit that she will refer our complaint to the Speaker tomorrow,” BAYAN president Renato Reyes, Jr. told reporters.
“Sabi namin paano ho yan baka magkaron ng referral mamaya hindi na kami makasama mamadaliin nyo yung referral to trigger the one-year ban, sabi niya labas na sa kanya yun.”
[TRANSLATION: We asked how can this be we fear that there could be another referral later and we will be excluded – the referral of another complaint will be railroaded to trigger the one-year ban. She said that is out of her control.]
Lawmakers Tinio and Elago then wrote a separate letter that they submitted on Monday morning before the office of House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III, seeking that the second impeachment complaint be considered for Monday’s agenda.
Makabayan’s impeachment bid to remove Marcos from office was anchored on a single ground which, they said, was “the most expansive and flexible”: Betrayal of public trust.
The complainants alleged the president betrayed public trust because of his purported involvement in the corruption scheme that concentrated billions of pesos worth of flood control contracts to a few companies linked to congressmen and public works officials.
