DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 07 January) – A progressive group here believes that the impeachment complaints filed against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte have sufficient merit, and the trial can proceed, even in an election year, if Congress shows “political will” to act on them.
Rauf Sissay, Bayan Muna-Davao regional coordinator, told MindaNews on Tuesday that the impeachment is a “constitutional process” to exact accountability against her following the House inquiry on the alleged misuse of public funds of the Office of the Vice President and Department of Education where Duterte served as secretary until her resignation on June 19, 2024.
Different groups filed impeachment complaints against Duterte: the first on December 2, the second on December 4, and the third on December 19.
“We, in Bayan Muna, along with other progressive groups, believe that the impeachment complaints have due merit and should be heard in the Senate acting as an impeachment court,” he said.
On Monday, January 6, members of the Makabayan Bloc, which endorsed the second impeachment complaint, invited complainants to attend a meeting-consultation scheduled for 10 a.m. on Wednesday, January 8, at the Minority Conference Room of the House of Representatives.
“As fellow advocates for good governance and public accountability – in particular, Vice President Duterte’s accountability to the people – we hope that we can discuss in this meeting our impeachment complaints and agree on efforts to push the Marcos administration and the House of Representatives’ leadership to move the impeachment process along,” the letter reads.
Sissay urged the House and the Senate to “fulfill its constitutional duty” immediately.
“Impeachment proceedings may be fast-tracked if they choose to. We can look back at the history of impeachments in the Philippines—former President Joseph Estrada was impeached during an election year. Everything is possible if there’s political will on the part of Congress,” he added.
On November 13, 2000, Estrada was impeached by the House of Representatives on allegations of corruption. However, following the staging of what is called the EDSA People Power II, the former leader stepped down in 2001 before the impeachment trial in the Senate was concluded.
During the “Pahalipay sa Pasko” here on December 25 last year, former President Rodrigo R. Duterte urged his supporters to defend the vice president “as she was being attacked.”
The Duterte patriarch said that his daughter “would be the next President of the Philippines.” (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
