A House leader on Sunday assured the public that the impeachment complaint against President Rodrigo Duterte will not be killed nor railroaded.
“We will give the complainant [Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano] ample time to present and articulate the issues he raised, one by one,” Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali said.
He said there is no pressure to meet a specific deadline as to determining if the complaint is sufficient in form and substance.
However, Umali, chairman of the House committee on justice, admitted that he does not expect intense debates given the lack of support of Congress members to the complaint.
“We will play it by ear. There is no game plan here to finish the process immediately,” he said.
“Railroading the process is a baseless and unfounded fear. We are expecting the performance of our constitutional duty will be accepted by the people because this will be a dignified process and a sense of decency will be observed,” he added.
Staunch supporters of the President in the House supermajority have downplayed the complaint, saying the impeachment process is just an exercise in futility.
“The impeachment complaint filed against the President is an exercise in futility, given an overwhelming support not only at the House of Representatives, but also from the Filipino people,” Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Ray Villafuerte said.
“We need this impeachment complaint like we need a hole in the head. I believe we lawmakers could better spend our time right now crafting reform laws that could help the President achieve the government’s goal of sustaining the growth momentum, drastically reducing poverty and transforming our country into an upper middle-income economy by the time his term ends in 2022,” he added.
Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers and Batangas Rep. Raneo Abu both said the defection of several members of the Liberal Party, Nacionalista Party, Lakas and Nationalist People’s Coalition to the President’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan does not bode well for the impeachment process.
“The House supermajority becomes stronger than ever. The entry of more lawmakers to the administration party could further cement the death of the impeachment complaint. The President is the most trusted public official with an excellent trust and performance ratings. I don’t think Congress can turn its back to the overwhelming mandate given to him by the majority of our electorate,” Abu said.
“Let’s not be distracted by this divisive political exercise. Instead, let us allow our President to move on with the business of government to serve and protect the people,” Barbers added.
Alejano, for his part, expressed confidence that the Filipino people will not “just accept that murder is legal in this country.”
He accused Duterte of violating the 1987 Constitution as well committing bribery, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.
Alejano blamed Duterte for the deaths of over 8,000 persons in his bloody war against drugs.