The Makabayan Bloc in the House of Representatives appealed to Congress to pursue the impeachment case file against Vice President Sara Duterte.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, the bloc, composed of Reps. France Castro of ACT Teachers, Arlene Brosas of Gabriela and Raoul Manuel of Kabataan, said Duterte has to be removed from office and be held accountable for alleged misuse of public funds, among other allegations leveled against her.
“We, the Makabayan bloc representatives, strongly condemn the unprecedented delay in processing the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte,” Makabayan said.
“The hesitation to transmit and initiate impeachment proceedings clearly stems from President Marcos Jr.’s previous statements admitting that he indeed told his allies not to file an impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte as it was ‘not important’ and won’t make a difference in Filipinos’ lives,” they said.
The second complaint, led by the progressive group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) and backed by Makabayan bloc lawmakers France Castro, Arlene Brosas, and Raoul Manuel, centered on alleged misuse of confidential funds in her offices.
The Makabayan Bloc endorsed the second impeachment complaint filed by various sectoral groups, including former legislators and human rights victims.
The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) led the 75 complainants who said Duterte has to be accountable for betraying the public trust over her alleged misuse of P612.5 million in confidential funds under the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) during her term as secretary.
The complaint also cited the “systematic cover-up” of the fund misuse through anomalous documents submitted before the Commission on Audit (COA) and the alleged “deliberate obstruction” of congressional investigation and oversight.
House Secretary General Reginald Velasco maintained in earlier statements that “As mandated by Article XI on Accountability of Public Officers, particularly Section 3 of the 1987
Philippine Constitution, the House of Representatives will process this complaint in accordance with the Rules of Procedure in Impeachment Proceedings.”
“We assure the public that this process will be conducted with integrity, guided by the principles ofdue process and adherence to the Constitution. The House remains steadfast in protecting public trust
and ensuring that the democratic process is upheld.
We call on all parties involved to respect the legal proceedings and allow the Constitutionally
prescribed process to take its course,” Velasco said.
Velasco also acknowledgee earlier that impeachment complaints underscores the seriousness of the allegations and highlights the vital role of Congress in upholding transparency and accountability in government. The House is committed to performing its Constitutional duty with fairness, impartiality, and respect for the rule of law.