Malacanang said Tuesday that with less than 30 opposition congressmen elected to the incoming 14th Congress, another attempt to impeach President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is doomed due to lack of "numbers."
Interviewed over DZMM radio this morning, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said that under the law, at least 76 votes, or one-third of the 230-member House of Representatives, are needed to file an impeachment case.
He noted that the opposition campaigned on a platform to impeach the President in this month’s mid-term election, but they fell far short of the number of congressmen needed to impeach her.
"It wasn't election and the impeachment was already discussed, what more now now that the opposition will have enough numbers to impeach again. Will they be able to serve the impeachment again against the president, that is the question," he said.
Based on the latest vote tally by the Team Unity headquarters, less than 30 opposition congressmen will be joining the 14th Congress.
An attempt to impeach the President in the 14th Congress would be the third try by the opposition to oust her through constitutional process. Two previous attempts were rejected overwhelmingly by the House.
Ermita stressed that nobody can stop the opposition from calling for the impeachment of the President, but "if you look at it – sorry guys," the opposition lacks the number required by the Constitution to impeach the Chief Executive.