There is “not much” that the House of Representatives can do on the impeachment complaint, which the Cardema couple plans to file against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., while Congress is on break, according to House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

 He issued the statement Thursday night after Duterte Youth Party List Chairperson Ronald Cardema and his wife Ducielle Marie on Thursday tried but failed to file the first-ever impeachment complaint against Marcos Jr. 

Cardema said he was informed that the House Secretary General was not around to receive the complaint. 

The Office of the Secretary General also had a scheduled strategic planning session from May 6 to 8. 

Cardema couple to file Marcos impeachment complaint

“We’re not in session right now, so not much can be done. At sa alam ko po, ‘yung Sec Gen’s office, naka-seminar sila ngayon. So we have to wait for the proper time to consider that,” Romualdez said in a chance interview in Tacloban, Leyte.

 Asked about the timing of the complaint, Romualdez replied, “I really don’t know. I don’t know what inspired them. Hayaan mo nalang sila.”

 But House Assistant Majority Leader and Tingog Party List Rep. Jude Acidre raised questions on the timing of the complaint.

 “Ang tanong ko lang ho sa impeachment, may dalawang linggo na lang pagkabalik namin ng session, hindi ko ho alam kung may saktong oras pa… Hindi ko pa rin nababasa ‘yung impeachment, pero kaduda-duda na ito ay ipa-file apat na araw bago ang eleksyon,” he said.

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“Sana ho ang ating mga kababayan ay tingnan, hindi po kandidato ang ating presidente at bakit kailangan po itong gawin sa kanya?” Acidre added.

 The House of Representatives will resume session on June 2.

 The Cardema couple will again attempt to file the impeachment complaint next week.

 The grounds cited were President Marcos Jr.’s alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and his alleged betrayal of public trust, “when he allowed the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte on the basis of a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court”. 

 The complainants claimed that Duterte’s right for due process was violated.

Duterte was arrested on March 11  on his arrival from Hong Kong at the request of the International Criminal Court (ICC) as part of its probe into his "war on drugs" that defined his presidency.

The ICC warrant for Duterte's arrest said that as president, the 80-year-old Duterte allegedly created, funded, and armed death squads that carried out murders of purported drug users and dealers.

He was brought to The Hague in the Netherlands on the same day he was arrested.

Duterte on March 14 appeared via video link before ICC judges. He is set to attend a September 23 hearing to confirm the charges against him.