No active House effort to impeach Sara – lawmaker

MANILA, Philippines — Despite the ongoing investigation into her office’s use of confidential funds, there is no active effort at the House of Representatives to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte, the chairman of the House committee on good government and public accountability said on yesterday.

Although they have already identified possible grounds, Manila Rep. Joel Chua told “Storycon” on One News that the committee has not discussed anything “insofar as impeachment is concerned.”

“There is none yet. What we are doing is this committee hearing, which the primary purpose is in aid of legislation,” he said.

“Definitely, there are grounds (for impeachment). But whether it will push through… that is something that we have to resolve among members of Congress,” he added.

Chua said he first heard about impeachment from Duterte herself and the media who asked him about it.

“The only reason why impeachment came out was because I was asked… if there is a ground for impeachment. Of course, I said, ‘if they cannot explain it adequately, definitely there will be a ground for impeachment,’” he said.

Asked about the specific grounds, he identified three: betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and bribery.

With only a few months left with the 19th Congress, the Manila lawmaker said it is another question if there is enough time to proceed with an impeachment complaint.

With no one from the OVP attending their hearings, Chua said he expects the committee to soon wrap up the proceedings.

He warned the seven OVP officers that they subpoenaed may be cited in contempt if they fail to attend the next hearing.