Moves to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte are getting the cold shoulder treatment as lawmakers seek out both the Mindanao vote and the backing of the Iglesia ni Cristo in the 2025 midterm elections, a former lawmaker said Tuesday. 

“Totoo naman na medyo nagdadalawang isip ang mga pulitiko na suportahan ang pagpapanagot kay Vice President Duterte,” Teddy Casino, chairperson of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and one of those backing Duterte’s impeachment, said in a TeleRadyo Serbisyo interview.

Police: Around 1.5 million members of INC attended peace rally

Casino noted it was not the first time an impeachable official had a huge rally to stave off impeachment, citing the case of former President Joseph Estrada, adding “it did not stop the House from doing its duty.”

He said lawmakers should not look at crowd numbers but at the evidence if an impeachable official had betrayed public trust. 

Will pro-impeachment politicians face backlash after INC peace rally?

In the interview, Casino said the 3 impeachment complaints against Vice President Duterte were being “dribbled” at the level of the House secretary-general until time runs out as the official campaign period for the 2025 midterm elections start.

“Kakaiba…Ministerial lang ‘yan, dapat automatically pinapasa na sa Office of the Speaker,” he said.

Under the rules of impeachment, the Speaker has only 10 days to send the impeachment complaint to the committee on rules. 

The House Secretary-General earlier said it is waiting for a fourth impeachment complaint before forwarding the complaints to Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Casino admitted Monday’s peace rally attended by over a million Iglesia ni Cristo members may have persuaded some congressmen to think twice about impeachment.

At the end of the day, lawmakers should use their “conscience and sense of justice” to decide whether or not to back the impeachment, he said.