WHILE the budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) was being deliberated in the plenary of the Lower House of Congress, militant groups stormed the Batasang Pambansa to call on the House to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte.
“Impeach Sara Duterte” was written on the placards of the protesters from Bayan Muna along with the demand to remove the Confidential and Intelligence Funds (CIF) of all government agencies, particularly the Office of the President (OP).
Duterte’s camp first floated the alleged plan of the House to impeach her after the dissolution of the Team Unity formed by them along with the Marcos family during the 2022 presidential election.
The Vice President is more convinced of this action in the House because congressmen are probing into her use of intelligence and confidential funds, not only in 2022 but also in 2023.
However, no impeachment complaint has been filed against Duterte yet, although ACT party-list Rep. France Castro admits that Duterte’s illegal use of her intelligence funds is an impeachment offense.
“You can’t commit wrongdoing and just let it go, there should be accountability. Her misuse of confidential funds is an impeachable offense,” Castro said in an interview.
But up to now, no impeachment complaint has been filed against the Vice President, who is considered a presidential candidate in the 2028 presidential election.
Administration congressmen continue to deny any plans to impeach Duterte.
However, if an impeachment complaint is filed against Duterte, it is not far-fetched that it will immediately be elevated to the Senate, which will serve as the Impeachment court because the Lakas-CMD, led by Speaker Martin Romualdez, has enough members.
Under the law, only 1/3 of the members of the House or 105 votes are needed for an impeachment complaint to automatically become an article of impeachment, but it has already reached 106 Lakas-CMD congressmen.”
