Vice President Sara Duterte speaks to the media at the Office of The Vice President in Mandaluyong City on December 11, 2024. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA (UPDATE) — The House of Representatives will finally get the ball rolling on the 3 impeachment complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte last December, the chamber's Secretary General announced Monday.

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Velasco gave the assurance that impeachment complaints filed against Duterte will be referred to the Office of House Speaker Martin Romualdez not later than this week.

Velasco asserted that some lawmakers are planning to file a fourth impeachment complaint against the Vice President, amid doubts expressed by an opposition solon on whether such a plan is true.

The House Secretary General said he talked to the congressmen supposedly behind the fourth complaint last week, and that they are preparing a “simplified complaint”, with the signature of at least one third of House members. 

This will allow the complaint to skip deliberations at the House Committee on Justice before it is elevated to the Senate for trial.

“Mayroon talagang nagbabalak (mag-file ng fourth impeachment complaint)... They're looking for the fast track process… which, will override all these requirements… Well, they are still looking for endorsers and then they're looking at the complaints, kasi they want a simplified complaint… para mabilis yung trial,” Velasco told the media in a chance interview on Monday.

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As of Monday morning, no 4th complaint has yet been filed before the lower chamber. Congress is scheduled to adjourn session later this week. 

Velasco said before that happens, he will refer the impeachment complaints to the Office of House Speaker Romualdez.

“Nakikiusap itong magfa-file sana ng fourth complaint na huwag ko muna i-transmit. But I think we have given them enough time, so we have to act on it this week. Itong week na ‘to ‘yung deadline talaga,” he said. 

The House Secretary General denied that at this point, such complaints are dead in the water. 

“Hindi naman eh, kasi nga anytime, one-third of the members can endorse it, can sign a complaint in my presence, and then deretso ‘yun sa Senate. Hindi na dadaan sa Committee on Justice,” Velasco said.

House Assistant Minority Leader and Gabriela Party List Representative Arlene Brosas, who is among the endorsers of the second impeachment complaint, shared this sentiment. 

She said that while they are willing to wait for a fourth complaint, they demand movement of the earlier filed impeachment complaints within this week.

“Kung may fourth complaint, actually, willing to wait naman kami for the fourth complaint. Kasi ‘yun ang mahalaga eh. Magkaroon talaga ng mas pinakamaraming magsusuporta dito sa impeachment complaints…Pero sana magkaroon ng moves ngayong linggo na ito, kasi huling mga araw na ng Kongreso, at dapat magkaroon ng aksyon dito ang ating leadership,” Brosas said.

“Madali makapagpapirma kung sa majority ‘yan,” she added.

For another impeachment complaint endorser, House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Party List Representative France Castro said the lower chamber’s action on the complaints filed last December are “long overdue."

“That is long overdue. But if 1/3 of congressmen would sign to endorse any of the impeachment complaints before the session ends, then it would go straight to the Senate. That is why we are still urging our colleagues to sign and endorse our complaint,” Castro said in a statement.

Two weeks ago, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that now is not the time to go through the impeachment process, citing the difficulty of getting a quorum as the campaign season nears.

Some congressmen previously recognized the challenges that the impeachment process may face, but also said they will perform their duty once the complaints are referred to the House Committee on Justice.

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