Petitioners withdraw 2nd impeach complaint, back third vs Sara Duterte
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 11:26 a.m.) — Petitioners and endorsers of the second impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte have formally withdrawn their support and are now backing the third complaint lodged by clergy members and lawyers.
In a letter filed with the House Office of the Secretary General (OSG) on Monday, March 2, Reps. Leila de Lima and Perci Cendaña informed the justice committee that they would no longer endorse the second complaint and would instead support the third, which De Lima has already endorsed.
The 17 petitioners also filed a separate letter with the OSG, seeking to withdraw the complaint they lodged on February 2. The group includes progressive civil society groups, urban poor leaders, families of extrajudicial killing victims, and priests.
Some of them are Tindig Pilipinas co-convenor Francis Joseph "Kiko" Aquino Dee, Father Flavie Villanueva, and former lawmaker Teddy Baguilat.
They believe the third complaint "contains the same allegations and substantial evidence" as the complaint they filed, and supporting it would simply expedite the "process towards accountability" by throwing their support for one of the other three complaints instead.
"In order to remove any obstacles against the process of seeking accountability and answers from Vice President Duterte, we believe it is most prudent to withdraw the said complaint," the letter read.
The third complaint cites the following grounds for impeachment: culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, plunder, malversation, graft and corruption, bribery, and other high crimes, all in connection with Duterte's alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds.
During its first hearing on Monday, the justice committee approved the petitioners' withdrawal of the second impeachment complaint after they took their oath and confirmed their decision. The panel will be evaluating the form and substance of the complaints against Duterte.
If the committee finds at least one of the three remaining complaints sufficient in form and substance, it will proceed with more intensive hearings to review the evidence and allow Duterte to respond to the allegations.
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