VP impeachment Numbers in House, but not in Senate

MANILA, Philippines —   Impeachment complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte will likely get the support or one-third of the House of Representatives, according to Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr.

“But we don’t know if it will succeed in the Senate,” Abante told Teleradyo Serbisyo.

Congressmen are still “blind” to the impeachment process against Duterte “because nobody is moving,” he said.

“There is no movement although three impeachment complaints have already been filed,” he said.

Duterte’s impeachment might proceed depending on the actions of congressmen, some of whom were still on vacation as of yesterday, he noted.

Only one-third of House members are needed for a resolution to get approved and set into motion the articles of impeachment, according to Abante, vice chairman of House committee on good government and public accountability.

He admitted the campaign period for the mid-term elections might set back impeachment proceedings.

Congressmen do not want to fast track the impeachment process so that it can stand once it is forwarded to the Senate, he said.

Consolidation of the impeachment complaints filed by members of the Akbayan, Makabayan and a group of lawyers and priests will depend on the House justice committee’s decision.

Abante also sees no problem with former president Rodrigo Duterte acting as a lawyer for his daughter in the impeachment complaints filed against her.

The House quad committee, he stressed, will continue probing Philippine offshore gaming operators and extrajudicial killings during the previous Duterte administration.

The quad committee, composed of four House panels, earlier recommended the filing of crimes against humanity charges against Duterte, Senators Bong Go and Ronald Dela Rosa and other police officials for reported extrajudicial killings during Duterte’s term.

“Next to that is asking victims’ relatives to show up. This is not only about the war on drugs. This includes even those so-called human rights defenders who do not have any involvement in the armed struggle. They are also complaining because they are not NPA (New People’s Army), they were just mistakenly included,” Abante said.

Many members of the media, lawyers and doctors were also killed during the Duterte administration, he Abante said.

“They were killed. They claimed they are carrying firearms, when in fact, they don’t have. They are not even members of the CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines)-NPA,” he said.

The quad comm, led by Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, also wants to probe the death of Albuera, Leyte mayor Rolando Espinosa, Abante said.

Espinosa was killed inside his cell at the Baybay City provincial jail on Nov. 5, 2016. He was among the politicians linked by Duterte to the illegal drug trade.