SAN Juan City Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora on Saturday said impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Z. Duterte will not distract the House of Representatives from addressing pressing national and global issues, stressing that Congress continues to perform its broader mandate.
Zamora, vice chair of the House Committee on Justice, issued the statement amid criticism that the legislature is allegedly overly focused on impeachment while the world faces war and an energy crisis.
“We admit that there is a crisis, there is a war ongoing, there is an energy crisis, but we have to do our task as mandated by the Constitution,” Zamora said at the Saturday News Forum at Dapo Restaurant in Quezon City.
She underscored that the impeachment proceedings against the vice president do not derail the work of government, with other committees and agencies continuing to function.
“Hindi naman po porket ongoing ang impeachment sa Committee on Justice ay napapabayaan na ng Congress o ng House of Representatives ang trabaho nito,” Zamora said.
She added: “And I don’t think this applies lalong-lalo na po sa executive department. I believe that all of our departments, all of our offices are doing their job. And as for the House of Representatives, it’s doing its job. The other committees are working, all of the other departments are working.”
Zamora emphasized that the Committee on Justice is operating under a fixed constitutional timeline and cannot simply stop its work.
“It’s just that the House Committee on Justice is tasked with finishing this job within 60 session days. Kaya po ginagawa namin ang aming tungkulin,” Zamora said.
Zamora also made clear that the panel will continue its hearings even during the congressional recess and despite petitions filed before the Supreme Court (SC).
“We will continue with our proceedings. In fact, recess na po ngayon ng Kongreso, pero tuloy pa rin po ang Committee on Justice sa aming hearings,” Zamora pointed out.
The House plenary had authorized the Committee on Justice to conduct hearings during the congressional break, allowing the panel to proceed without interruption.
Congress is on recess from March 21 to May 3.
The committee is currently in the hearing proper stage of the impeachment process, where it receives evidence and testimony and poses clarificatory questions as it determines probable cause on the two remaining impeachment complaints against Duterte
