CONGRESS OUSTS VP SARA!

THE majority members of the House of Representatives voted to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte with just 3 days before adjournment and with the list of complainants headed by presidential son, House Senior Deputy Leader, Rep. Sandro Marcos of Ilocos Norte.

With 215 district and partylist representatives out of the House’s 318 members signing the fourth petition on February 5, which is more than the required one third of House members to avoid any further deliberation, it was swiftly transmitted the next day, February 6, at the Senate for trial.

However, as Congress is set to adjourn on February 8 to give way for the midterm elections on May 12, the Senate, acting as the Impeachment Court, can only attend to the issue when Congress resumes its session on June 2.

Senate President Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero, in a press briefing the same day the Upper Chamber received the impeachment complaint, said that aside from first reviewing the Rules on Impeachment and organizing the chamber as an Impeachment Court, no trial can be held while Congress is not in session (see related story in this issue).

The adoption of the impeachment complaint by majority of House members mirrors the ‘rushed’ impeachment of President Joseph Estrada in November 2000, when 77 lawmakers headed by Speaker Manny Villar, signed the impeachment complaint against him.

That process, however, was not completed after an elite-backed conspiracy supported by factions from the Armed Forces (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP) and the United States, acting behind the scene, succeeded in illegally removing him from power in January 2001, at the start of the impeachment hearings.

Those who moved for the ouster of Vice President Duterte include the House leadership, with Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, first cousin to President Marcos Jr., the last to affix his signature.

They may have taken the cue from the Chief Executive who has softened his stand on the planned impeachment of his running mate in the 2022 elections.

Last November, the President confirmed that he “appealed” to Congress to drop any planned impeachment of Duterte and he remains “open” for a reconciliation with her and settle their differences.

To recall, despite the President’s appeal, three impeachment complaints were filed in Congress, on December 2, December 4 and December 19. Majority of the petitioners are members or officials of known communist front organizations now allied with the House leadership.

These three petitions, however, are in danger of being overtaken by events due to the midterm elections for failure to get the needed one-third support of House members.

Of late, however, the President said he is no longer “opposed” to Congress’ decision to proceed with impeachment highlighted by his son leading the list of those who instigated the latest complaint against the Vice President with the support of his cousin, the Speaker of the House.

Malacañang, however, remains adamant in insisting that it has “nothing to do” with any plot to unseat the Vice President.

Among others, the Vice President is accused of graft and corruption, bribery, betrayal of public trust, and “other high crimes.”

Added to them is Duterte’s claim of hiring someone to kill the President, First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos and Romualdez should she also is killed, as she claims the three are conspiring to have her assassinated.

INC National Rally for nothing

Congress’ decision to impeach the Vice President is also a clear rebuff to the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) religious group, which only last January 13 organized a massive, nationwide rally supporting the President’s original call not to impeach Duterte and for Congress to instead focus its attention on the country’s major problems such as poverty and joblessness.

On that day, Malacañang was forced to issue a proclamation suspending work and classes in Metro Manila in anticipation of the number of participants.

By the end of the rally, an estimated 1.5 million INC members participated and packed the venues not only at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila but also in other parts of Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.