Manila, Philippines – The House of Representatives on Monday, Feb. 23, referred to the committee on justice four complaints seeking to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte, setting in motion the impeachment proceedings as well as a one-year immunity rule against any other bid to remove her from office.
Deputy Speaker Ferjenel Biron, who presided over the plenary session, referred the four complaints to the justice panel, two weeks after the first suit was filed and just before the 10-session day prescription for the House leadership to act on the complaints expires.
The job of the committee: assess the complaints based on form and substance, before sending back to plenary for voting on whether or not the impeachment bid will be transmitted to Senate. The latter will then convene as the impeachment court for trial.
The panel has 60 session days to complete its review and its member-lawmakers earlier said the complaints will be dealt with in the same manner they handled the impeachment proceedings against President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
The referral to the justice committee avoided the faster route where one-third of the members of the chamber can vote to impeach Duterte then proceed to Senate trial – a mode adopted last year but was voided by the Supreme Court on technicality.
“Mas mainam po siguro na ganun since nagkaron po tayo ng Supreme Court issues before. Tingin ko this is where it’s heading. Saka yung sa pangulo dumaan din [sa ganitong proseso],” La Union 1st district Rep. Paolo Ortega said on Monday morning, hours before the plenary.
[TRANSLATION: This justice committee referral is better since we encountered issues before the Supreme Court before. I think this is where it’s heading. The president also went through the same process.]
Ortega was one of two House members who endorsed the fourth impeachment complaint against Duterte last week.
Four groups of petitioners sought to remove Duterte on the grounds of her threats against Marcos and the first family and amid allegations of misuse of confidential funds, failure to declare her wealth, and abuse of power.
NO PRODDINGS
The fourth impeachment complaint against Duterte was filed by private lawyer Nathaniel Cabrera on his own volition and not on proddings by the House leadership, Ortega said.
“Of course we are also expecting that LAKAS will support the fourth impeachment complaint,” said Ortega, a member of the solid north group of lawmakers.
“Para kasing pag sinabing basbas sila po ang pinanggalingan. Hindi po sarili po naming desisyon ito,” he added.
[TRANSLATION: It appears that when you say there had been a blessing from the House leadership or administration, that the suit was initiated by them. That is not the case. We made this decision [to endorse] on our own volition.]
