VP Impeach Complaint Not Likely To Prosper

The impeachment complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte are likely not to prosper in the 19th Congress due to lack of support from members of the House of Representatives.

- Jose Rodel Clapano, Ghio Ong

House secretary general Reginald Velasco said that at present, only six House members have signified their support for the three impeachment complaints separately filed against Duterte by Akbayan, Makabayan and a group of lawyers and priests.

In an interview with Teleradyo Serbisyo, Velasco disclosed that the three impeachment complaints are still on hold in his office and have not been transmitted to the Office of the House Speaker as he is still waiting for the group of majority and minority congressmen who have indicated their intention to file a fourth impeachment complaint against Duterte.

“With the present support of six, nothing will happen to that. Even in the (House) committee on justice, before it can pass the scrutiny of the committee, it should get the support of a simple majority of its members,” Velasco said.

“Assuming that the members (of the committee on justice) are 30, it means that they should gather 16 before it can pass the committee on justice. So, it is difficult to get the vote of the House members in both the plenary and the committee on justice because it can be killed in the plenary once it is not supported by the simple majority,” he added.

The simple majority of the total of 308 House members is half, or 154 congressmen.

Velasco added that the three complaints so far filed against Duterte would undergo a difficult process without the support of the general membership of the lower House.