Palace distances itself from Sara impeach bid

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang yesterday distanced itself from the filing on Monday of an impeachment complaint against President Marcos’ former ally-turned-arch critic Vice President Sara Duterte, repeating an admonition to lawmakers that such a move would only distract the government from its task of attending to pressing matters.

“The impeachment complaint filed in the House of Representatives by several private citizens is clearly the complainants’ independent initiative, and its endorsement, the prerogative of any member of the House of Representatives,” Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said in a statement.

“The Office of the President has nothing to do with it. The President’s earlier statement on the matter is unambiguous,” he added.

In a media interview in Lucena City last week, Marcos confirmed telling lawmakers not to file impeachment complaint against Duterte, saying it is not important and would not make any difference in the lives of Filipinos.

He called an impeachment complaint “a storm in a teacup” that would tie down the House of Representatives and the Senate.

However, Marcos’ remarks failed to dissuade some groups from pursuing an impeachment complaint against the Vice President over her alleged culpable violations of the Constitution, graft and corruption, bribery, betrayal of public trust and other high crimes.

In a chance interview, Bersamin said Malacañang would not encourage the filing of an impeachment complaint as Marcos has been very clear about his position on the matter.

“Any suggestion that it is political or instigated by our side, no. That is never true,” the executive secretary said.

“What the House of Representatives is saying is we let the process flow. For our part, what do we need to say? The President already made it clear and unambiguous... that he will not support an effort to impeach because it is distracting. There are a lot of things we need to do. They are important to the nation,” he added.

The complaint against the Vice President was filed by civil society leaders, former government officials, religious figures and sectoral representatives and was endorsed by Akbayan partylist Rep. Perci Cendaña.

The complainants include Teresita Quintos Deles, Fr. Flaviano Villanueva, Fr. Robert Reyes; Randy delos Santos, uncle of Kian Delos Santos, the 17-year-old student who was killed in an anti-drug operation in Caloocan in 2017; Francis Aquino Dee, singer Leah Navarro, Sylvia Estrada Claudio, Alicia Murphy, Sr. Mary Grace de Guzman and former Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano.

Uninterested

At the House of Representatives where the impeachment complaint was filed, administration allies emphasized they were not keen on impeaching Duterte.

House Deputy Majority Leader Jude Acidre of party-list Tingog and Bataan Rep. Geraldine Roman, chair of the House committee on women and gender equality, said that while it is their constitutional duty to check the complaint, they also have to attend to other pending work.

“Impeachment is not priority of the supermajority in the House, the focus remains on supporting President Marcos Jr.’s national development agenda,” they said in a statement.

“This is not to give excuses, definitely we are all for accountability. But then again, like what the President said, it is very important that we should not be distracted with our other main tasks, like there are still pending bills that have to be passed,” Acidre explained.

Another factor, they said, is the Senate’s willingness or even reluctance to convene as an impeachment court in the event of a Duterte impeachment.

“That being the case, this will be a careful balancing act on the part of the House leadership and the House itself,” Acidre added.

Roman told a press briefing that she is not keen on fast-tracking an impeachment suit against Duterte.

“I’m not inclined to push for an impeachment process primarily because this has been the concern of our President. He is reminding us that we still have other things to do and prioritize,” she said.

“Do we have material time to process this complaint? The question is when will be our break? Dec. 21. Can this be forwarded to the House justice committee by then? And remember, next year is an election year,” she pointed out.

The administration lawmaker from Bataan recalled that the impeachment process of the late chief justice Renato Corona in 2012 took “more than four months” to finish, which will most likely conflict with Congress’ resumption of sessions by Jan. 13 next year, as well as the Feb. 7 adjournment.

“You can cut my hands. There will be no impeachment. We follow the President,” Albay Rep. Joey Salceda said at the Tuesday Club forum yesterday.

Impeachment complaint needs the signature of one-third, or more than 103 of the total 312 lawmakers, for it to get past the House committee on justice and go directly to the plenary, where congressmen will cast their votes.

However, if the threshold is not reached, this will be forwarded to the House justice committee where its chairman, Rep. Juliet Ferrer, and panel members will decide whether the complaint is sufficient in form and in substance before its merits are taken up for deliberations.

Silence

Senate President Francis Escudero, for his part, reiterated his call on fellow senators to refrain from commenting on the impeachment issue to prevent any perceptions of bias and maintain the integrity of the Senate as an institution.

In a statement, Escudero said the filing and endorsement of an impeachment complaint in the House of Representatives marks the beginning of a process enshrined in the Constitution to ensure accountability among our highest public officials.

“In light of this development, I reiterate my call to my colleagues in the Senate to refrain from making any public comments or statements regarding the allegations in the complaint’s articles of impeachment,” Escudero said.

“Should the Senate be called upon to act as an impeachment court, any perception of bias or pre-judgment would undermine not only the integrity of the impeachment trial but also the public’s trust in the Senate as an institution.”

“The Senate stands ready to fulfill its constitutional mandate with integrity and impartiality while upholding the national interest. As we navigate this critical juncture in our history, let us remain resolute in our commitment to justice, unity and the welfare of the Filipino people,” he added.

While impeachment is often described as a political exercise, Escudero said, “it is crucial that members of the Senate approach it with the impartiality and objectivity demanded of us.”

He admitted that impeachment proceedings are “inherently divisive” and have the potential to polarize the government and the public.

“However, we must not allow this to detract from the pressing legislative work that lies ahead. We have a duty to enact laws that respond to the needs of our people, address urgent national concerns, and strengthen our republic,” he added.

“As we move closer to the midterm elections in May 2025, it is even more imperative for us to rise above the din of political noise and focus on the work that matters most to our people,” the Senate President added.

‘Theoretically’ possible

For political analyst Ronald llamas, a Senate impeachment trial is still “theoretically” possible even during the campaign period as senators and other lawmakers running for reelection may do their campaigning through TikTok and other forms of social media.

“Although theoretically even if the campaign starts, they could still continue with the trial. Why? Because the senators do not need to hold ‘classic campaign’ like going to sorties. Campaigns nowadays are done via TikTok, in social media, so the senators do not have to physically appear at the campaign,” Llamas said in an interview with “Storycon” on One News.

The 90-day campaign period for national candidates, or those seeking seats in the Senate and party list posts, will be from Feb. 11 to May 10, 2025.

But he admitted that while this scenario is feasible, the timetable for a trial is “narrow.” “But it can be done if there is a modicum of independence in the Senate.”

He stressed impeaching Duterte would have to be done at this time because “after the midterm (elections) it is doomed.”

Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa, for his part, dared critics at the House of Representatives to tackle the impeachment complaint endorsed by Akbayan party-list against the Vice President.

“They can do it. Nobody is stopping them if they want to do it. Then go ahead! No problem!” Dela Rosa said in an interview with ANC’s “Headstart.”

“To start with, we already know their motive for singling out the OVP,” Dela Rosa said. He said Congress should also look into the confidential funds of President Marcos.

“If they are really serious in curbing corruption, then inspect all confidential funds,” Dela Rosa said. — Cecille Suerte-Felipe, Delon Porcalla, Keisha Ta-asan, Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Evelyn Macairan