Makabayan bloc hits Marcos for 'interfering' in impeachment plans vs. Sara Duterte

The Makabayan Bloc in the House of Representatives on Friday condemned President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. for "interfering" with Congress' affairs particularly on the possible impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.

In a statement, the Makabayan Bloc said Marcos' latest pronouncements about impeachment talks is a "brazen attempt to influence Congress" and constitutes a clear violation of the constitutional provision on the separation of powers between co-equal branches of government.

"Such a move shows a weak leadership. In the presence of corruption, death threats and blatant disrespect of the House of Representatives, this is how the President behaves and stand(s)?" said Makabayan bloc.

"The President's public pronouncements against impeachment proceedings represent undue executive interference in legislative affairs," they stressed.

The Makabayan Bloc then called on the House leadership to maintain its independence and exercise its constitutional mandate "without pressure from Malacañang."

"The House leadership must demonstrate its independence and take a firm stand based on evidence and public interest, not on the President's preferences. Congress should not allow itself to become a rubber stamp of the executive branch," they said.

The group maintained that the House probe on Duterte's confidential funds and "irregularities" in the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, which Duterte formerly led, "warrant serious consideration" and demand thorough investigation and action from Congress.

For their part, the Makabayan Bloc said they are ready and they are preparing for the possible impeachment of Duterte, saying that the "situation and the people calls for it."

"Tungkulin nating siguruhin na walang opisyal ang nasa itaas ng batas. Kung may sapat na batayan para sa impeachment, dapat itong ipagpatuloy alinsunod sa ating Konstitusyon," the Makabayan bloc said.

(It is our duty to ensure that there will be no official who is above the law. If there is enough basis for an impeachment, that should proceed based on our Constitution.)

In a separate statement, three House leaders reiterated that "impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte are not on our agenda."

Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr., Deputy Speaker David “Jay-Jay” Suarez, and House Majority Leader Manuel Jose “Mannix” M. Dalipe said the House committees' primary focus is "uncovering the truth behind the use of confidential funds and addressing any alleged irregularities linked to questionable businesses that reportedly emerged during the previous administration."

Although they expressed that the impeachment of Duterte is not their priority, the House leaders noted that the House of Representatives "has a constitutional duty to act on impeachment complaints filed by ordinary citizens."

"Should an impeachment complaint be properly filed in accordance with the rules, the House is obligated to deliberate on it fairly and transparently, ensuring that the process adheres to the highest standards of justice," the statement read.

"This is not just the responsibility of the institution, but also the individual duty of each congressman to uphold the Constitution," they added.

In a virtual press conference earlier today,  House good government and public accountability panel vice chairman Jefferson 'Jay' Khonghun made a similar statement that there were no talks about the possible filing of impeachment complaint against Duterte among the members of the majority bloc in the lower house.

Khonghun pointed out that the impeachment plans were coming from the mouth of Duterte and not from the members of the House of Representatives.

Like the three House leaders, the representative from Zambales said they cannot strip off the rights of the other members of the House to file one against Duterte.

“Pero syempre hindi rin natin tinatanggal ang karapatan ng bawat organisasyon, ng bawat mamamayang Pilipino na gustong maghain ng impeachment complaint. At hindi rin natin tinatanggalan ng karapatan ang sinoman sa Kongreso na mag-endorse nito," he said.

Should a complaint be filed in the House despite the pronouncement of Marcos, Khonghun said the decision of the lawmakers will be based on "conscience vote."

In an interview Friday morning, Marcos confirmed a text message where he was urging lawmakers not to file an impeachment complaint against the Vice President.

Marcos expressed belief that an impeachment plan would not benefit the lives of Filipinos.

“This is not important This does not make any difference to even one, single Filipino life, so why waste time on this?” Marcos told reporters.

“What will happen to the-- if somebody files an impeachment? It will tie down the House, it will tie down the Senate. It will just take up all our time, for what? For nothing. None of this will help improve a single Filipino life. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a storm in a tea cup,” he added.

To recall, it was during a virtual press conference last week when Duterte said she would have Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez killed if she herself was assassinated.

She later clarified that her “kill” remark was taken out of logical context. Her statement drew criticisms from several government officials and even legal experts.

In response to Duterte’s scathing statement, Marcos vowed to resist the "criminal attempts" that threaten his life. — BAP, GMA Integrated News