ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro —Photo from the Facebook page of the House of Representatives
MANILA, Philippines — The House Makabayan bloc is planning a meeting of groups and individuals who filed impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte and lawmakers who endorsed it, ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro said on Thursday.
The lawmakers would want to hold the meeting as complaints have not been sent to the Office of House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Castro said in an interview with reporters covering the House of Representatives.
Article continues after this advertisement“We really want the impeachment process to go through. That’s why we are planning to have a meeting with those who endorsed and filed impeachment complaints — so that there would be a joint effort to push the Marcos administration, and, of course, the House leadership also, to go through with the impeachment,” Castro said in Filipino.
FEATURED STORIES NEWSINFO OSG: Pogo asset seizures, birth records purge next NEWSINFO Co hits OVP’s secret funds while touting Akap for high use rate NEWSINFO Bong Go extends holiday greetings to Filipinos“Yes, we plan to meet, to convene with the complainants and the endorsers like Akbayan, Rep. [Gabriel] Bordado, another lawmaker from a party-list group, just to discuss what we can do to push for this impeachment complaint,” she added.
READ: Solons fear VP Duterte’s vow to face impeach raps is just lip service
Article continues after this advertisement Three complaintsSo far, three impeachment complaints against Duterte have been filed before the Office of House Secretary General Reginald Velasco. Last December 2, 16 representatives of civil society organizations went to Velasco’s office to file the first impeachment complaint.
Article continues after this advertisementFormer Sen. Leila de Lima accompanied the petitioners, while Akbayan party-list Rep. Percival Cendaña endorsed the complaint.
Article continues after this advertisementTwo days later, progressive groups led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan filed another impeachment complaint, with the betrayal of public trust as an article of impeachment. Castro and her Makabayan bloc colleagues — Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas and Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel — endorsed the second complaint.
Then on December 19 — a day after the House adjourned its session — religious groups, lawyers, and nongovernment organizations filed another complaint against Duterte before Velasco’s office. Bordado and AAMBIS-OWA Party-list Rep. Lex Anthony Colada endorsed this complaint.
Article continues after this advertisementCastro said the processing of these complaints should not be delayed any further.
“That’s three complaints. So it will be difficult to delay these any further as we saw what Sara Duterte did to the Filipino people with funds in her office, and then she is also unfit to serve as Vice President because of what she did,” she said.
“So we are planning this, and we are also preparing for big mobilizations this month to push – I am stopping short of saying to pressure the Marcos administration to change its position regarding impeachment,” she added.
READ: Marcos: VP Duterte unimportant; impeach rap waste of time
Duterte and her offices — Office of the Vice President (OVP), and previously, the Department of Education (DepEd) — have been the subject of a House investigation due to questions on how confidential funds (CF) were utilized.
Nonexistent namesSome of the questions centered on the acknowledgment receipts (ARs) for the CFs, as they were signed by a certain Mary Grace Piattos — which Antipolo 2nd District Rep. Romeo Acop said had a first name similar to a coffee shop and a last name that is a famous potato chips brand.
gold fish casino slot gamesIn a succeeding hearing, Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong showed two ARs — one for the OVP and another for the DepEd — which were both received by a certain Kokoy Villamin. However, the signatures and the handwriting of Villamin differed.
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) eventually said that the names Mary Grace Piattos and Kokoy Villamin did not exist in their live birth, marriage, and death registry. Furthermore, PSA said that it had no records of the more than 400 names on the ARs for the DepEd’s CFs.
More endorsementsEarlier, Velasco confirmed that his office received feelers about a fourth impeachment complaint that might be filed against Duterte by Monday, January 6.
The funds would be used in building its portfolio in the local market, particularly solar and battery projects, the company said Tuesday.
According to Velasco, some more lawmakers would also want to endorse one of the three complaints filed in December 2024.
“Yes, some House members have told me in confidence that they are thinking of endorsing one of the three impeachment complaints filed earlier or another complaint,” the House secretary-general said.
READ: VP Sara Duterte might face 4th impeachment rap – House
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
Velasco declined, howeveraubet, to give the names of the lawmakers who wanted to endorse the raps against the vice president.
READ NEXT Sen. Loren Legarda shares highlights of legislative work in 2024 INQToday: Philippines recovers suspected Chinese submarine drone EDITORS' PICK Fil-Am charged with murdering three of his family members the day after Christmas 50th MMFF entries, ‘Hello Love Again’ to be screened at 2025 MIFF in Los Angeles OCD: 3 dead, 2 missing due to rains triggered by ITCZ, shear line Legarda: Strictly enforce Clean Air Act amid ‘unhealthy’ NCR air West PH Sea: Philippines recovers suspected Chinese submarine drone MOST READ Dismissed Mandaue Mayor Jonas Cortes files SC appeal over COC The highest-paying jobs in the Philippines for 2025 West PH Sea: Philippines recovers suspected Chinese submarine drone BIZ BUZZ: Trouble brewing in Alabang Follow @FMangosingINQ on Twitter --> View comments
