‘House leaders cool to VP impeachment’

Abante: Complaints can be refiled in next Congress

MANILA, Philippines — Several leaders of the House of Representatives are not inclined to tackle the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte before the May elections.

In an interview with “Storycon” on One News yesterday, Manila 6th District Rep. Benny Abante said several leaders he had talked to were “more amendable” to his position against tackling the complaints before the elections or before the end of the current Congress.

He said House leaders discussed the issue yesterday.

“I don’t think we should even tackle the impeachment complaints now. The fact that the election is quite near… It’s better if we defer the impeachment complaint and file it in the new Congress,” he said.

“We’re in a quandary as to what the leadership will do about that… They’re quite cold about the impeachment complaints,” he said, referring to some members he had spoken with on the matter.

Three impeachment complaints have been filed against Duterte over her alleged anomalous use of the confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education under her leadership.

Abante also said the House quad committee will push through with its investigation on the alleged irregularities in some of the programs of the previous Duterte administration.

“It is not over. We still have a lot to do. Particularly, the next quad comm hearing, we might tackle the POGO (Philippine offshore gaming operators) issue,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Abante, one of the co-chairs of the quad comm, said they plan to invite banks and the Anti-Money Laundering Council as part of their investigation on the money trail involving POGOs.

The bank secrecy law, he said, is not absolute and that details of the bank transactions may be revealed if there is proof that there is a violation of the law.

Appeal to INC

As uncertainties remain over the direction of the impeachment complaints against Duterte, a party-list lawmaker called on the Iglesia ni Cristo religious sect led by the Manalo family to stop shielding Duterte from allegations of massive corruption.

“No rally can ever delete the truth that government officials are accountable to the people. The Filipino people who support the impeachment are seeking justice and accountability, not political theatrics,” Rep. France Castro of party-list ACT Teachers said.

More than a million INC members and supporters of Duterte reportedly attended INC’s “prayer rally” yesterday.

“There can be no real peace without any justice,” the militant opposition lawmaker stressed, adding that “genuine peace and unity cannot be achieved by blocking legitimate calls for accountability.”

“The people deserve answers about the unexplained use of confidential funds. As a former education secretary, she must also answer for the alarming decline in our students’ performance in international assessments for math, English and science during her watch,” Castro said.

Castro, a member of the three-man Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives, described the mammoth rally of INC as a “clear attempt to shield Duterte from accountability over corruption allegations.”

“This rally is not about peace and unity. It’s a calculated move to protect Vice President Duterte from answering serious allegations about her misuse of confidential funds and her accountability for the deteriorating quality of education in our country,” she pointed out.

A former militant lawmaker, Teddy Casiño of party-list Bayan Muna, echoed the same sentiments, saying the peace rally is “meant to shield VP Duterte from impeachment and her father Rodrigo from being held accountable for his crimes against humanity.”

“The Iglesia ni Cristo has labeled their activity a ‘Rally for Peace.’ But there can be no peace without justice. And true justice demands accountability, especially from those who abuse their power and oppress the people,” Casiño, who is running for senator in May, said.

“The House of Representatives should start the impeachment process, with or without the approval of President Bongbong Marcos, as part of its constitutional obligation of accountability,” he said in a statement.

Militant fishers’ group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) also called on lawmakers to proceed with impeaching Duterte despite the INC’s massive show of support for her.

“In a form of impeachment, Vice President Sara must be held accountable over her illegal spending of hundreds of millions in confidential funds,” PAMALAKAYA vice chairman Ronnel Arambulo said.

Arambulo, who is among the 75 complainants in the second impeachment case against Duterte, added that the supposed “peace rally” was a “political salvation in favor of the Duterte family.”

He asked the people of faith to stand up for social justice and not let themselves be used by corrupt politicians.

“We are calling on our fellow faithful not to be swayed by the statement of leaders of the church. They should make sure that their belief is based on justice and not to be used by corrupt politicians,” he said.

Senators and members of the House of Representatives comprising the country’s bicameral Congress resumed session yesterday after a month-long Christmas break.

House secretary-general Reggie Velasco hinted last week that the House may take up the impeachment complaint filed against the Vice President, if the much talked about fourth impeachment complaint does not materialize.

NBI concludes VP probe

Meanwhile, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has finished its probe on Duterte’s supposed “kill threat” against President Marcos, First Lady Liza Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez.

It is now up to the Department of Justice to determine whether to file a case against her, an official said yesterday.

“We were informed already that the NBI had finished its investigation, but there is a need to further evaluate and we are sending prosecutors over to look at the evidence and evaluate the evidence that is in the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation,” Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon said at a Palace briefing.

Fadullon said prosecutors would review the NBI report and assess whether the pieces of evidence gathered were enough to trigger a deeper investigation.

“Depending on the outcome, we will be able to make a recommendation (whether) to … file already before the department and/or to return it to the NBI if there’s a need to build up the case further and to add to the evidence that they have,” he said.

Fadullon said the NBI and the DOJ are working closely together to assess the evidence on hand.

Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez, who also joined the Malacañang press briefing, said once the evaluation confirms sufficient grounds, a preliminary investigation will follow.

“Once the evaluation is confirmed to be enough to warrant preliminary investigation, that’s the time that the preliminary investigation proper would be initiated,” Vasquez said.

Asked whether they have information on the person supposedly contacted by Duterte to assassinate Marcos, Fadullon said, “I think that will be part of the things that will be looked into and we will send our prosecutors if they have any information leading to the one who is contacted supposedly by the Vice President to execute the acts.”

The NBI has issued a subpoena on Duterte over her assassination threat against Marcos.

Duterte skipped the NBI probe and instead submitted a letter through her lawyer stating that she denied threatening the President, the First Lady and the Speaker.

At an expletive-laced virtual press conference in November, Duterte alleged she was the subject of an assassination plot and that she ordered a member of her security team to kill the President should the alleged plot succeed.

“I already talked to a person in my security. I told him if I get killed, kill BBM (Ferdinand Marcos), (first lady) Liza Araneta and (the President’s cousin and Speaker) Martin Romualdez. No joke,” Duterte said. “I said, if I die, don’t stop until you have killed them.”

The Vice President had claimed her remarks were “taken out of logical context.” And it was a mere “plan without a flesh.” — Helen Flores, Delon Porcalla, Bella Cariaso