ASEANEWS HEADLINE-COURTS & CRIME | MANILA: House tackles President Marcos impeachment rap today
Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr./ Bongbong Marcos / Facebook Page
House begins tackling impeachment complaints vs Marcos
MANILA, Philippines — The House committee on justice will hold its first hearing today on the two impeachment complaints filed against President Marcos, with the four lawmakers who endorsed them expected to defend the cases.
Pusong Pinoy party-list Rep. Jernie Jett Nisay, who endorsed the complaint filed by private lawyer Andre de Jesus, as well as Makabayan Reps. Antonio Tinio (ACT Teachers), Renee Louise Co (Kabataan) and Sarah Elago (Gabriela Women’s Party), who endorsed the second complaint from militant and progressive groups, will appear before panel chair and Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville Luistro at 10 a.m. today at the Batasang Pambansa People’s Center.
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The House justice committee is expected to consolidate the two Articles of Impeachment, both accusing Marcos of betrayal of public trust, and then deliberate on their “sufficiency in form.”
Another date may be separately set for the determination of sufficiency in substance, just like what the House panels did in previous Congresses for high-ranking officials who have been subjected to impeachment proceedings, among them former president and now Pampanga 2nd district Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
In an interview with House reporters last week, Luistro expressed full confidence about the competence of her committee colleagues in taking up more than one impeachment complaint at a time.
“Before we can start the process, it really has to be consolidated because the two complaints are not possible to be heard in the justice committee. Upon referral, there has to be consolidation,” she stressed.
Speaker Faustino Dy III, reacting on the impeachment complaints against Marcos, said he sees no moral and legal basis for the suits.
“We see no basis to justify the impeachment complaints filed against President Marcos. The President clearly fulfills the mandate entrusted to him by the people, pursuant to law,” he said.
The House leader nonetheless acknowledged that as per their constitutional mandate, they are duty-bound to accept the complaints and deliberate on their substance.
The first complaint said Marcos should be impeached for the alleged “kidnapping” and surrender of former president Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court, as well as for failing to veto the unconstitutional provisions of the past four national budgets.
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The second complaint, filed by the Makabayan bloc, accused Marcos of betrayal of public trust for adopting the baselined-balanced-managed parametric formula that supposedly became the basis for kickbacks in state infrastructure projects.
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