Ridon: Sara Duterte expected to be impeached within 2 weeks

MANILA, Philippines — Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon on Saturday said that Vice President Sara Duterte is expected to be impeached by the House of Representatives within the next two weeks as he expressed confidence of the House justice panel that the minimum number of votes to impeach her will be secured. 

Ridon said that the House committee on justice, of which he is a member of, is set to have a meeting to approve the committee report. Last Wednesday, the House panel found probable cause to impeach Duterte after three clarificatory hearings on the two impeachment complaints filed against her.

READ: House justice panel finds probable cause to impeach Sara Duterte

“The House committee on justice has a very high confidence na yung 106 votes needed to impeach the vice president will be met. And correspondingly, it will go to the Senate for trial,” Ridon said in the Saturday News Forum. 

Ridon noted that once the committee report is approved, it will be submitted to the plenary next week for deliberations. Here, he said that the representatives will be provided copies of the articles of impeachment and they will be free to discuss and debate before voting. 

“Our expectation is that within the next two weeks, we have transmitted to the Senate and we have impeached the vice president,” Ridon expressed.

Ridon said that confidence of the House panel in getting 106 votes to impeach Duterte is sourced from the “evidence presented during the proceedings itself.” He cited the alleged confidential funds misuse, order from Duterte to return P448 million from confidential fund spending, the Anti-Money Laundering Council flagging of P6.77 billion worth of transactions of Duterte and her husband, and her threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

“I think these will convince a huge number of representatives to impeach the vice president,” he added.

READ: Over 600 transactions of Sara Duterte worth P6.7B flagged by AMLC

Ridon added that securing the minimum votes of 106 is not difficult, adding that they want to obtain at least 215 votes from the lawmakers, the same number of votes the lower chamber got when it impeached Duterte last year. 

House panel on justice chairperson Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro earlier said that the following lawmakers can make the 11-member House prosecution team for the anticipated Senate impeachment trial of Duterte: Ridon; Manila Rep. Joel Chua; San Juan Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora; Bukidnon Rep. Keith Flores; 1-Rider party-list Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez; Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima; Akbayan Rep. Chel Diokno; and Cagayan de Oro Rep. Lordan Suan. /das