VP Sara impeachment transmittal next week?

Fast-track mode eyed

- By JOSE RODEL CLAPANO

A signature campaign led by the Makabayan bloc is at full throttle in the House of Representatives, with the aim of setting into motion impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte, possibly by Monday.

The bloc, comprising militant lawmakers, would have to gather the signatures of at least one-third or 106 of the more than 300 members of the House of Representatives before these are submitted to the plenary, former Bayan Muna party-list representative Neri Colmenares said yesterday.

In an interview with "Storycon" on One News, Colmenares said they are eyeing the "Villar style" of impeachment process against Duterte. He was referring to the rapid procedure that led to the impeachment of then president Joseph Estrada in 2000 when Manuel Villar was House speaker.

"This is about the signing of Articles of Impeachment that will be submitted to the Senate. They should declare it to the plenary. We will collect signatures. The voting is in the plenary. It can be done before the collection of the signatures," Colmenares said.

Duterte's ally, Sen. Ronald de la Rosa, said yesterday that he expected the impeachment to proceed.

Colmenares said: “It is allowed that you will gather the signatures, and then once completed, you present it to the plenary with the signatures of those 106 congressmen who will support it. Hopefully, by Monday we would be able to complete the 106 signatures of congressmen.”

Colmenares, who acted as prosecutor in the impeachment trial of chief justice Renato Corona, said Villar managed to immediately transmit to the Senate the Articles of Impeachment against Estrada because the signatures of one-third of House members were gathered in advance.

“ The resolution had been brought to congressmen for signing beforehand and the required one-third were already there before it was presented in the plenary,” Colmenares said.