Garafil: House ensuring accuracy of Duterte impeachment docs

MANILA, Philippines — The articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte have not yet been transmitted to the Senate because the House of Representatives is ensuring that the copies to be forwarded are accurate, House Secretary General Cheloy Garafil said Tuesday.

Garafil provided an update on the status of the impeachment proceedings a day after 257 House members voted in favor of adopting Committee Report No. 261, which contains the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte.

According to Garafil, the House is still reproducing copies that will be submitted to the Senate, which will sit as an impeachment court for Duterte’s trial.

“The Articles of Impeachment and their attachments, which number in the thousands of pages, are currently being reproduced, collated, and checked to ensure that all copies are appropriately organized and that each copy is a faithful reproduction of what was approved by the House of Representatives,” she explained.

Garafil did not mention when the articles could be forwarded, but noted that “the accuracy of our submission is our paramount concern.”

Weeks after the committee on justice began hearing the four impeachment complaints against Duterte, panel chairperson and Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro presented before the plenary CR No. 261, which contained the consolidated version of the third and fourth complaints.

A total of 257 lawmakers voted in favor of CR No. 261, while 25 members voted against it and nine abstained.

The 257 votes are well above half of what is required under Article XI, Section 3(3) of the 1987 Constitution, which states that a one-third vote of all House members is needed to affirm or override the committee’s recommendation to impeach an impeachable official.

With 318 members in the House, one-third is 106 members—meaning the House exceeded the threshold.

According to CR No. 261, the allegations in the two complaints were consolidated into four grounds:

• culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and betrayal of public trust through the systematic mismanagement, misuse, misappropriation, and irregular use of confidential funds amounting to P500 million under the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and P112.5 million under the Department of Education (DepEd)
• culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust when Duterte amassed unexplained wealth manifestly disproportionate to her lawful income and earnings during her incumbency as a public official
• bribery, graft and corruption, culpable violation of the Constitution, and betrayal of public trust when she gave monetary gifts or payments to DepEd officials to induce the violation and circumvention of procurement and other related laws
• culpable violation of the Constitution, high crimes, and betrayal of public trust by allegedly contracting the assassination of the President, the First Lady, and the former speaker of the House, by making grave threats, and by actively inciting sedition against the republic

Several senators believe the Senate will convene as an impeachment court once the House transmits the articles of impeachment.

On Sunday, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian—an official under former Senate President Vicente Sotto III’s term—said the Senate may convene on May 13, Wednesday, if the articles are transmitted to the upper chamber on Tuesday.

READ: Gatchalian: Senate may convene as impeachment court on May 13

It is unclear how the chamber, under newly elected Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano’s leadership, will proceed with the impeachment.

Earlier, Cayetano promised that he would not delay the impeachment proceedings against Duterte once the Senate is convened as an impeachment court.

READ: Cayetano vows to act ‘forthwith’ on impeachment process: We won’t delay

In an interview with reporters on Tuesday, Cayetano was asked how he would approach the impeachment. He answered: “Forthwith.”

“We won’t delay. We have no reason to,” he added. /mcm