House panel junks two impeachment bids vs Marcos

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives’ committee on justice on Wednesday dismissed both impeachment complaints filed against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., declaring each insufficient in substance after separate votes by the panel.

In the morning hearing, the committee discussed the sufficiency in substance of the Makabayan Coalition complaint.  Once the deliberations were finished, committee chairperson and Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro put the impeachment complaint from lawyer Andre de Jesus to the vote.

A total of 42 committee members voted to dismiss the de Jesus complaint, with only its endorser, Pusong Pinoy party-list Rep. Jernie Jett Nisay voting to find it sufficient in substance. Three Makabayan bloc lawmakers abstained.

Immediately after addressing the de Jesus complaint, the committee also junked the second impeachment complaint filed by the Makabayan Coalition, with 39 members voting to declare it insufficient in substance and seven voting in favor of its sufficiency.

Voting on the first complaint had originally been scheduled for Tuesday, but committee chairperson and Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro gave members an additional day to reflect on the discussions before proceeding with deliberations.

Lawmakers assailed the de Jesus complaint for what they described as fatal defects, saying its allegations were largely based on speculation, media reports, and hearsay. De Jesus sought Marcos’ removal over alleged drug use, corruption, and other acts lawmakers said were unsupported by evidence.

Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice said allegations that Marcos used illegal drugs were hearsay, while claims that the President created the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to shield corrupt allies could not be considered impeachable offenses. Erice said that although the ICI had failed following the resignation of key members, its creation did not constitute grounds for impeachment.

Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. echoed this view, saying that while the ICI should have been given stronger investigative and subpoena powers, its establishment alone was not an impeachable act.

Filed on Jan. 19, the 14-page de Jesus complaint cited six grounds for impeachment, including allegations that Marcos ordered and enabled the kidnapping and surrender of former President Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court, benefited from kickbacks linked to budget insertions and alleged ghost flood control projects, failed to veto unconstitutional provisions in the General Appropriations Acts for 2023 to 2026, used illegal drugs, and violated the Constitution and betrayed public trust.

Several lawmakers earlier said the de Jesus complaint was weak and could be easily dismissed for lack of form and substance.

Those concerns prompted the Makabayan Coalition to file its own impeachment complaint, which many lawmakers initially viewed as the stronger of the two because it presented what complainants described as factual allegations.

The Makabayan complaint cited three grounds: the alleged institutionalization of corruption through the “BBM Parametric Formula,” alleged abuse of discretionary powers in the allocation and use of unprogrammed appropriations, and alleged direct personal involvement in budgetary insertions and kickback schemes.

During the hearing, committee vice chairperson and San Juan Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora questioned the sufficiency of the Makabayan complaint, saying that an imperfect policy such as the so-called BBM Parametric Formula could not be considered an impeachable offense.

Makabayan complainants, including former Gabriela lawmaker Liza Maza, argued that the acronym “BBM,” which stands for “Baselined-Balanced-Managed,” indicated Marcos’ involvement, noting that it also corresponds to the President’s initials and nickname, Bongbong.

Zamora countered that the formula was crafted by the Department of Public Works and Highways, not by Marcos himself.

“It is clear from the complaint that the president did not do any overt act that shows that he directed these three schemes,” Zamora said. “In the first place, it was not the president who created the BBM Parametric Formula of the DPWH. Having an imperfect policy direction is not an impeachable offense.”

Gabriela party-list Rep. Sarah Elago, the endorser of the Makabayan complaint, responded that Cabinet officials act as the alter ego of the President, arguing that Marcos could still be held liable for policies crafted by executive departments.

Despite these arguments, the committee voted to dismiss the Makabayan complaint, effectively ending both impeachment bids at the committee level.