Velasco: VP Sara impeach raps to be processed if no new cases are coming

House Secretary General Reginald Velasco (left) receives the second impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte. The complaints, filed by progressive organizations led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, were sponsored by ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro, Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas and Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel. (GABRIEL P. LALU / INQUIRER.net)

MANILA, Philippines — The three impeachment complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte will be transmitted to the Office of the Speaker if there are no additional complaints that will be filed and if no more lawmakers will endorse them.

This move was expressed by House of Representatives Secretary General Reginald Velasco in an online interview on Friday.

Velasco explained that the reason why the complaints have yet to be forwarded to Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez’s office is because he wants to avoid disenfranchising possible complainants.

His view comes after some lawmakers appealed to defer the transmittal as more raps may be filed, or because they might endorse the existing complaints.

But after Velasco gets to talk with the lawmakers once session resumes on January 13, and if there are no more complaints to be filed, he will forward the three cases against Duterte to the House leader.

“Hopefully, by next week, we will be able to resolve this with the House members who have expressed interest in either endorsing a complaint or filing a new complaint,” he told reporters.

“So hopefully, by next week, we’ll be able to resolve it together with them, kasi (because) I have committed to wait for their signal. So I’ll give them enough time,” he explained.

“I just want to avoid that issue na may mga complaints pang ipa-file and then, di ko na mata-transmit dahil na-transmit ko na yung tatlo,” the secretary general said.

(I just want to avoid that issue where there are other complaints that will be filed but I won’t be able to transmit them anymore because I have already transmitted the three.)

“So give me until next week to evaluate kung wala na ‘yung consolidated; itong three complaints na lang ang available. So yan ‘yong ita-transmit ko kay speaker,” Velasco noted.

(So give me until next week to evaluate if there will be no more consolidation, I will transmit the three complaints to the speaker.)

He added, “Isa pang trabaho kasi ng secretary general is to certify valid that these are verified complaints.”

(Another job of the secretary general is to certify that these are verified complaints.)

Velasco observed that he is faced with a unique situation — since many complaints were filed and may be filed against a single official, unlike before when the first complaint immediately gets forwarded to the speaker.

“May mga warning sa akin ‘yung mga members na meron pang darating, so I am faced with a situation which is quite unique in recent history,” he disclosed.

(There were members warning me that more complaints will be filed, so I am faced with a situation which is quite unique in recent history.)

“In recent history kasi, one complaint. So, referred agad. Wala nang nagsabi sa akin na may dagdag pa, may mag-endorse pa. Referred agad sa speaker’s office,” he recalled.

(In recent history, one complaint is referred immediately. No one would tell me before that more complaints would be added, and more would endorse. The complaint was referred quickly to the speaker’s office.)

Under the House rules, there is no specific timetable as to how long a complaint can stay in the Office of the House Secretary General.

Velasco said such rules only apply after he has forwarded the complaints to Romualdez, who will then have 10 session days to submit the documents to the House committee on rules.

Last January 2, Velasco confirmed that his office received feelers that a fourth complaint against Duterte may be filed before his office, before the House session resumes.

However, no additional case was filed from January 6 to January 9.

Velasco said some lawmakers have also told him in confidence that “they are thinking of endorsing one of the three impeachment complaints filed earlier or another complaint.”

READ: VP Sara Duterte might face 4th impeachment rap – House 

Several lawmakers and petitioners have urged the House leadership to address the complaints, as a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed that 41 percent of respondents are in favor of having Duterte impeached from office.

READ: Survey on VP Duterte’s impeachment reflects public outrage – lawmakers 

READ: 41% for impeach rap, 35% against, 19% undecided 

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