Lawmakers seek common effort in Duterte impeachment

Metro Manila, Philippines - The House Makabayan party-list bloc will seek a common effort among proponents of impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte to ensure that the process will gain headway.

Signed by ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro, Gabriela Women’s Rep. Arlene Brosas, and Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel, letters were distributed on Monday, Jan. 6, for a meeting set for Jan. 8, 10 a.m., at the Minority Conference Room of the House of Representatives in Quezon City for this purpose.

“As fellow advocates for good governance and public accountability - in particular, Vice-President Duterte’s accountability to people - we hope that we can discuss in this meeting our Impeachment Complaints and agree on efforts to push the Marcos administration and the House of Representatives leadership to move the impeachment process along,” the letter read.

A number of groups have filed a total of three complaints to oust the vice president. The first was endorsed by Akbayan Rep. Perci Cendaña; the second by Makabayan bloc representatives; and the third by Camarines Sur Rep. Gabriel Bordado Jr. and AAMBIS-Owa party-list Rep. Lex Colada.

The grounds in the complaint are betrayal of public trust, plunder, and graft and corruption.

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House Secretary General Reginald Velasco has said that a fourth complaint may be filed by multi-partisan lawmakers.