No House-backed impeachment moves vs VP Duterte, solons say

MANILA, Philippines — House lawmakers on Thursday denied that discussions on the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte had been brewing in the lower chamber.

For Deputy Majority Leader Rep. Erwin Tulfo, the Vice President has not committed any impeachable offense.

Tulfo also said that the impeachment call has not been discussed by the House leadership.

“This morning, I reached out to leaders, including Cong. Zaldy [Co] and the Speaker, to address rumors circulating in Congress.

“However, there is no substance to these discussions; no such thing has been deliberated among party leaders or the House leadership,” Tulfo said.

Tulfo stressed that the lower chamber’s goal “is to unite for the people and progress, not against Sara Duterte or her family.”

Furthermore, House Majority Leader Mannix Dalipe slammed the rumors as “baseless and detrimental to political unity.”

Dalipe, in a statement, also said that such talks “are mere attempts to sow discord” between Duterte and House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

READ: Sara gives up seeking P650M in secret funds

Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro was quoted as saying in reports that discussions were circulating within the House regarding the potential impeachment of Duterte.

In August, Castro also said that the Makabayan bloc is entertaining the possibility of filing an impeachment case against Duterte over her secret fund request for the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education (DepEd).

READ: Impeachment of VP over intel funds mulled

However, due to it being a “divisive” issue, Duterte decided not to pursue her requests for confidential funds amounting to P500 million for the OVP office and another P150 million for DepEd.