By Junex Doronio
MANILA – The Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives is intensifying its efforts to gather at least 130 signatures from their colleagues to push the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte to the Senate for trial.
This initiative comes on the heels of a fellowship dinner hosted at Malacañang Palace by Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez and President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. Attended by 200 congressmen, the event reaffirmed their support for the Chief Executive against “threats, both internal and external, that seek to undermine our independence, security, and democracy.”
Political analyst Ronald Llamas remarked, “Saan ba nanggagaling ang threats, di ba kay Vice President Sara Duterte?”
House Secretary General Reginald “Reggie” Velasco disclosed that his office has yet to transmit the two impeachment complaints to the Office of the Speaker, citing anticipation of additional complaints being filed next week.
“There are congressmen who spoke to me saying they are thinking about filing or endorsing a complaint, so we are still on hold. We’re waiting,” Velasco said.
In a joint statement, Party-list Representatives France Castro (ACT), Arlene Brosas (Gabriela), and Raoul Manuel (Kabataan) confirmed their initiative:
“We, the Makabayan bloc in Congress, have initiated efforts to gather the required one-third of signatures from House members to sign the Resolution of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte based on the citizens’ complaint signed by 72 individuals from various sectors led by BAYAN and Makabayan.”
They urged their colleagues to “act with integrity and political courage by supporting this impeachment resolution.”
The Makabayan bloc emphasized that the exposure of alleged misuse of confidential funds during budget deliberations necessitates accountability from the Vice President.
If the impeachment gains traction in the House, Llamas noted, the Senate will serve as the impeachment court to decide on either conviction or exoneration.
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