‘Everyone is entitled to his own stupidity’

MANILA, Philippines -  Administration allies in the House of Representatives have belittled the filing of an impeachment complaint against President Duterte, with Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez saying the move’s supporters “are entitled to their own stupidity.”

Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas said Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano’s allegations against Duterte “are obviously not of his own knowledge, since most of them are palpably hearsay either from what he read or saw on the news or from tales of Senator Trillanes.”

It was Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, a member of the Magdalo, who exposed Duterte’s alleged huge bank accounts.

Fariñas said many of the supposed offenses were committed when Duterte was mayor or vice mayor.

“An official is impeached for acts committed in his present office,” he emphasized.

Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone said he does not think an impeachment case against the President would prosper.

“It’s a numbers game, and the House is composed mostly of administration allies,” he said.

Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III said it’s difficult to impeach a highly popular president.

Duterte is the third post-martial law president to face impeachment.

The other two are former president and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, who faced one case and was ousted in a people-power revolt days after tghe House impeached him.

His successor, now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, had to fight three complaints.

Arroyo’s then House allies threw out all three complaints initiated by the Makabayan bloc of leftist party-list representatives who are now allied with Duterte.

In May 2012, the Senate impeachment court ousted then chief justice Renato Corona for failing to declare some of his assets.

In March 2011, the House impeached then ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez. She resigned days before her Senate trial was scheduled to start.