Impeachment is a political act. But members of the House of Representatives have a ministerial duty to act on an impeachment complaint.
The House secretary general has said impeachments complaints would be processed in accordance with Article XI, Section 3 of the Constitution as well as the Rules of Procedure on Impeachment Proceedings. Based on the rules, three complaints seeking the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte should have been transmitted to the Office of the House Speaker several weeks ago.
All three complaints were filed way back in December last year, accusing the Vice President of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution and graft-related offenses. The petitions should have already been forwarded to the Office of the Speaker. But the House secretary general said it was expecting a fourth impeachment complaint.
The three petitions already contain a long list of detailed accusations and were filed by dozens of complainants. Do they have to wait forever for more complaints to be filed? Shouldn’t those filing a fourth complaint bear the burden of rushing to join the other petitions?
This week, with just four working session days left before Congress adjourns for four months for the campaign and midterm elections, the House secretary general has promised to forward the three complaints to the Office of the Speaker. Whether this will actually happen, or there will be a further wait until the weekend for a fourth complaint remains to be seen.
Opinions and sentiments have been expressed on the issue. President Marcos has described the impeachment effort as “a storm in a teacup” that won’t help “improve a single Filipino life.” He has reportedly sent a similar message to his House allies. The Iglesia Ni Cristo staged a show of force, supporting the President’s stand against the impeachment. On the other hand, various groups including Catholic clergy and students staged multiple rallies last week, pressing Congress to act on the impeachment complaints.
Surveys by reputable pollsters, which provide a more accurate gauge of the public pulse than warm bodies in a rally, have shown strong public support for impeachment. If enough votes for impeachment cannot be mustered at this point at the House, the Vice President also deserves relief, even if temporary, from this sword of Damocles hanging over her head. House members should have the courage to show where they stand on an issue involving public trust and the alleged misuse of public funds.