Vice President Sara Duterte.
INQUIRER PHOTO / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker has agreed with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s view that proceeding with an impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte would tie down Congress instead of the body doing more meaningful work.
In an ambush interview on Monday, Bataan 1st District Rep. Geraldine Roman said that she agrees with Marcos as there are more pressing matters — like the investigation conducted by the House of Representatives’ quinta comm, or the super committee on the pursuit of cheaper food.
“Honestly speaking, I agree with the President. With what’s left of this Congress, malapit na po, anim na buwan magtatapos na po ang 19th Congress, I’d rather focus on important things like what we’re going to discuss and investigate from the quinta comm. The quinta comm is aimed at finding out bakit ho tumatas ang presyo ng mga pangunahing bilihin,” Roman told reporters.
(Honestly speaking, I agree with the President. With what’s left of this Congress, there’s just six months before the 19th Congress ends, I’d rather focus on important things like what we’re going to discuss and investigate from the quinta comm. The quinta comm is aimed at finding out why prices of basic goods continue to rise.)
“Layunin po ng quinta comm na buwagin ang mga food cartel, ang mga mafia, nagho-hoar, at mga criminal organizations na sa ngalan ng profit at pagkita ng pera ay nape-perwisyo naman ang taumbayan and a platform for the quinta comm,” she added.
(It is the goal of the quinta comm to eradicate food cartels, the mafia, those who hoard, and criminal organizations that cause a nuisance to the public in the name of profit.)
Marcos last Friday confirmed that he asked lawmakers not to proceed with an impeachment complaint against Duterte, as it is not important and would not do anything to improve people’s lives.
Marcos also admitted that a message circulating over social media, making the same call against Duterte’s possible impeachment, actually came from him.
Roman confirmed that her chief-of-staff received a message from Malacañang.
READ: Marcos says he ordered impeachment moves vs VP Sara Duterte stopped
“My chief-of-staff did, pero ako personally I did not,” Roman said. “We normally do not reply to these messages.”
Members of the House’s Young Guns bloc however said that while Marcos’ advice is understandable, the House is constitutionally-mandated to accept any complaint that will be filed with the chamber.
We respect the opinion of the President,” Taguig 2nd District Rep. Amparo Maria Zamora said. “However, we cannot stop anybody here from filing or any citizen for that matter from taking interest in an impeachment complaint.”
“We have to take note, the executive branch is different from the legislative branch. This is a constitutional mandate. The process of impeachment is stated in our Constitution. Should there be any complaints filed, we are duty-bound to hear it out, check the merits, and give it due process,” 1-Rider party-list Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez said.
House Secretary General Reginald Velasco echoed the same sentiments, noting that their interpretation of Marcos’ message was that it is an advice, but it is not a compulsory order.
According to Velasco, the House will remain independent, and accept any complaint filed.
“‘Yon namang kay Presidente, suggestion lang ‘yon (na) masasayang lang ang oras ng House of Representatives. So hindi naman ‘yon sapilitan na pinipilit ang Congress. Depende talaga kung may magpa-file,” Velasco clarified.
(About what the President said, I think it’s just a suggestion that the time of the House of Representatives will be wasted. So it is not a compulsory order to the Congress. It depends if someone will file.)
“Yes, we will go through the process,” he said, when asked if the House will act independently. “Of course.”
Later in the day, civil society groups filed the first-ever impeachment complaint against Vice President Duterte before Velasco’s office. The impeachment complaint, crafted by religious leaders, sectoral representatives, and families of drug war victims, was endorsed by Akbayan party-list Rep. Percival Cendaña.
“Today, I formally endorse the first-ever and historic impeachment complaint filed by our citizens against Vice President Sara Duterte,” Cendaña said in a statement handed to reporters before the filing.
READ: First impeachment complaint vs VP Sara filed at House
The complainants were accompanied by former senator Leila de Lima, former Quezon City lawmaker Jose Christopher Belmonte, former presidential peace adviser Ging Deles, Catholic priests Robert Reyes and Flavie Villanueva, and members of the Magdalo group.
Duterte has been the subject of impeachment talks, ever since the House committee on good government and public accountability discovered different issues in how the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) — two offices under her.
Last November 25, it was revealed at the panel’s hearings that the special disbursing officers of OVP and DepEd left the disbursement of CFs to security officers — a move that 1-Rider party-list Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez believes can be tantamount to technical malversation.
READ: Solon: SDO’s move to give up fund release role may lead to malversation
Prior to this, the panel discovered possible irregularities in the acknowledgement receipts (ARs) for OVP and DepEd’s confidential fund (CF) expenses. For OVP, one of the ARs bore the name Mary Grace Piattos — which Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop said is a name similar to a restaurant and a potato chip brand.
Then, lawmakers also found out that there was an instance where a certain Kokoy Villamin received CFs from OVP and DepEd, but used different signatures.