House to tackle 2 impeachment raps vs VP Sara

Members of the House of Representatives will tackle during their plenary session on Monday, Feb. 9, the two verified and endorsed impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte which are expected to be placed in their order of business.

- By ELLSON QUISMORIO

From there, the official initiation of the impeachment proceedings can happen in two ways: First, the plenary, through the Committee on Rules, can refer the complaints to the Committee on Justice, which is the panel that scrutinizes such measures.

This was seen as recently as last week during its hearings on the two impeachment complaints filed against President Marcos. The justice panel, chaired by Batangas 2nd district Rep.

Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro, ended up dismissing the complaints for insufficiency in substance.

Second, at least one-third of the House members currently sitting in plenary (105 of 316 members) can trigger initiation by endorsing an impeachment complaint against Duterte.

The complaint, along with the articles of impeachment, will then be transmitted to the Senate.

Luistro, Liberal Mamamayang (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, and Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon have all acknowledged the possibility of this so-called "fast-track" mode of impeachment, particularly after House Secretary General Cheloy Garafil confirmed that the two complaints against the Vice President have been submitted to the office of Speaker Faustino "Bojie" Dy III.