House Braces for Explosive February as Impeachment Talks Swirl Around Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte
BONGBONG MARCOS – February may bring political turmoil to Congress as impeachment discussions involving the country’s top leaders gain momentum.
An impeachment complaint against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte may soon be filed at the House of Representatives as early as February, according to a senior lawmaker.
The one-year ban on filing another impeachment complaint against the Vice President is set to expire on February 6.
“It may be an exciting February for the House, because based on what I have been hearing, discussions are not limited to the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte,”
Erice said in an interview with dzRH, as reported by INQUIRER.
He added,
“There are also congressmen who are planning to file an impeachment complaint against President (Ferdinand) Marcos (Jr.). Thus, there are two developments that we should closely monitor.”
According to Erice, the planned impeachment against the President is allegedly linked to his supposed involvement in budget insertions made by Cabinet members and congressional allies, as well as the implementation of budget laws from 2023 to 2025 that were claimed to be tainted with corruption.
“What I see is a betrayal of public trust because, for three years, he more or less allowed Congress to desecrate his budget. He did not speak up,”
Erice said.
He added,
“It can be considered a gross inexcusable negligence which is one of the grounds for [betrayal of] public trust.”
“There are allegations that members of his Cabinet also got involved in insertions, diversions, and amendments—the defilement of the budget that ended up funding anomalous projects,”
he further stated.
In November, President Marcos accepted the courtesy resignations of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman after they were linked to corruption issues. Both officials denied the allegations, with Bersamin saying he did not resign voluntarily.
“Any impeachment complaint must be supported by clear facts and solid proof. Anything less will not pass constitutional scrutiny.”
“Impeachment is a serious constitutional process. It cannot be based on rumors, speculation, or political talk. [It] should never be used as a political tool. It exists for grave and provable offenses, not for creating noise,”
he added.
House Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V echoed this view, saying,
“Impeachment is not a press release. It is a constitutional process that demands proof.”
“We will examine any complaint based on the Constitution and evidence—nothing more, nothing less,”
Ortega said.
Malacañang dismissed the impeachment talks as political maneuvering. Palace press officer Claire Castro said,
“At this point, these are unsubstantiated statements allegedly coming from the supporters of a certain politician.”
She added,
“[The President] respects the existing constitutional processes and believes that any actions taken by members of Congress will be driven by facts, the law, and national interest.”
“The administration will not speculate on rumors or political maneuverings,”
Castro said, noting that the President prefers to focus on delivering results for Filipinos.
If an impeachment complaint against President Marcos is filed, it will be reviewed by the House committee on justice, chaired by Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro. If found sufficient in form and substance, it will require the vote of at least one-third of House members before being transmitted to the Senate for an impeachment trial.
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