No railroading of process, says impeach prosecutor

MANILA, Philippines — There was no railroading of the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte as the procedures followed by the House of Representatives were in accordance with the Constitution, Manila Rep. Joel Chua said yesterday.

“First, we cannot say that it was railroaded. The route that we go through is allowed by the law, in our Constitution,” Chua said, debunking claims by the Vice President’s lawmaker-brother Rep. Paolo Duterte, who accused his colleagues of “political persecution” for allegedly rushing his sister’s impeachment.

Chua said the signing by 215 congressmen of the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte led to the transmission of the complaint to the Senate on Wednesday, the last session day of Congress before it went on recess. Session resumes on June 2.

He said the number of signatures gathered was more than the one third of the total members of the House of Representatives required to set an impeachment case into motion.

Chua is one of the 11 prosecutors in the coming impeachment trial of Duterte.

“The committee conducted thorough hearings on the allegations against the Vice President, like the threat on the life of the President. All of us have watched it,” Chua said, referring to the quad committee, comprising four House panels that investigated Duterte’s alleged misuse of her confidential funds, as well as her involvement in extrajudicial killings and her threat to assassinate the President, the First Lady and Speaker Martin Romualdez.

“What we got is more than the required one third of the total members of the House of Representatives. We have 215 signatures from congressmen and there are 25 others who want to join,” Chua, chairman of the House committee on good government and public accountability, said.

“I am appalled and enraged by the desperate and politically motivated efforts to railroad the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte,” Rep. Duterte said earlier.

“The sinister maneuvering of certain lawmakers…to hastily collect signatures and push for the immediate approval and transmittal of this baseless impeachment case is a clear act of political persecution,” he added.

He said the Marcos administration should be worried about the Jan.13 massive gathering of Iglesia ni Cristo followers opposing the Vice President’s impeachment.

“If they were unfazed by the over one million rallying supporters of the Iglesia Ni Cristo, then they are blindly marching toward an even greater storm – one that could shake the very foundation of their rule,” Rep. Duterte said.

“The Filipino people will not sit idly by as this government undermines democracy and silences opposition through fabricated accusations,” he added.

“If the Marcos administration thinks it can push this sham impeachment without consequence, they are gravely mistaken,” he further said.

Rep. Duterte said that his sister’s case “is not just about VP Sara Duterte – this is about the will of the Filipino people.”

“The growing discontent and frustration across the country will not be contained for long. Mark my words: this reckless abuse of power will not end in their favor,” Rep. Duterte said.

Consolidation

Chua said that instead of adopting the first, second and third impeachment complaints filed and endorsed by Akbayan, Makabayan and a group of lawyers and priest, respectively, lawmakers decided to consolidate them into a fourth complaint to tighten the impeachment against Duterte.

He said he and his colleagues were given the time to review the consolidated complaint and sign it.

“We were given a copy of the fourth complaint. I was number 73 on those who signed. I signed it after seeing that the fourth impeachment complaint is good,” Chua said.

He revealed many private lawyers are already volunteering to join the 11 congressmen-prosecutors in the impeachment trial of Duterte.

“I am sure, because this is historic. So, this will be part of our history. Whoever or whatever law office will join us, that will be included in their resume,” the lawmaker said.

His House colleague and quad comm chairman Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said prosecutors have enough evidence against Duterte in her impending impeachment trial.

“The first Article of Impeachment includes the video footage of the Vice President making the (kill) threat (against Marcos) as evidence. There is a process,” Barbers said.

“The Vice President is saying otherwise. We will know the truth behind this first Article of Impeachment during the impeachment proceedings,” Barbers said.

“From the way I look at it, after appreciating in my own personal opinion, all these Articles of Impeachment have basis,” he said.

But it would be up to the senator-judges to assess the evidence. “It is the obligation of the senator-judges to appreciate these pieces of evidence. We respect their opinion,” Barbers said.

On suggestions that Duterte resign to spare the large expense of taxpayers’ money for the trial, Barbers said giving her due process and making her accountable are important.

“We cannot do that (let Duterte resign). Let’s give her the due process of law. It is her right to defend herself. All of us have the right to defend ourselves in this kind of situation,” Barbers said.

He also chided Duterte for not taking seriously the House decision to impeach her. “We have our own feelings. We have to give it to her. She’s not taking it seriously. And that’s her right,” Barbers said.

‘Stop playing victim’

Members of the so-called “young guns,” for their part, admonished Duterte to stop playing victim, saying she had herself to blame for her plight.

House Assistant Majority Leaders Pammy Zamora of Taguig City, Zia Alonto Adiong of Lanao del Sur and Jay Khonghun of Zambales blasted Duterte for her blatant attempt to deceive the people by publicly denying that she had ever threatened to kill the President.

“VP Sara Duterte is now trying to play the victim, but she is the one who put herself in this mess,” Adiong said.

“She threw a tantrum, blurted out highly dangerous statements and now that she realizes the legal consequences, she is pretending none of it happened. But the public is not stupid,” Adiong added.

Zamora called Duterte’s denial “desperate and clumsy” and warned she “cannot lie her way out of this.”

Khonghun said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) should expedite its probe on the case, as threatening the President is a national security issue.

“We are talking about the Vice President of the Philippines saying she ordered a hit on the President, the First Lady and the Speaker. If this were anyone else, they would already be in handcuffs,” Khonghun said.

Akbayan party-list Rep. Perci Cendana said Duterte should stop “invoking God” and instead just “be truthful” for her own salvation.

“Vice President Sara Duterte’s plea of ‘God save the Philippines’ is deeply ironic, coming from someone who has consistently failed to save public funds from misuse, protect education from corruption and defend our fisherfolk and frontliners from China’s harassment in the West Philippine Sea,” Cendaña said in a statement.

Cendaña said it is the people, not the Dutertes, who should say “God save the Philippines.”

“If the Vice President is seeking salvation, she should start with truth and accountability. Instead of invoking God to evade responsibility, she must answer for the millions in confidential funds, her failure to stand against China’s aggression and her lack of compassion for Filipinos in crisis,” Cendaña said. “God Save the Philippines, Sara says. We agree, especially from her and her family,” he added.