What’s next for Sara? Teleradyo points to the flawed delay of the impeachment process

CHEERS TO Teleradyo Serbisyo for following up on the impeachment complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte. Their discussion pointed to the wrongful delay and raised concerns about its implications.

Following the alleged misuse of public funds, three impeachment complaints were filed in the House against Duterte in December 2024. But before any complaint was filed, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on November 29 spoke against the impeachment of Duterte and discouraged lawmakers from filing the complaints.

After one month, House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said he has yet to transfer the impeachment complaints to the Office of the House Speaker as he was waiting for more complaints and consolidate them with others. There have been no updates on the progress of the complaints since.

Atty. Michael Yusingco, in a Teleradyo interview on January 26, pointed out that the withholding of the complaints by Velasco violated the House rules on impeachment.

“Ayon sa kanilang rules mismo, the moment na matanggap ng SecGen ang isang impeachment complaint (according to their rules, the moment the Secretary-General receives an impeachment complaint), immediately—“immediately” is the word they used—it must be sent to the Office of the Speaker, and the speaker has 10 days to schedule this in the order of business,” said Yusingco.

Citing further the House rules, Yusingco also said Velasco has no authority to decide and wait for other complaints and consolidate them. Velasco’s mandate is clear; it is only to determine the validity of the complaint and thus should be sent immediately to the Speaker.

When asked why the impeachment talks died down, Yusingco said the most probable reason is the expressed disapproval of Marcos to impeach Duterte. Yusingco noted that while it is not right because of the principle of separation of powers, it influences the decisions of lawmakers, more so as the House Speaker Martin Romualdez is a first cousin of Marcos.

The impeachment matter of Duterte goes beyond whatever ties are left between her and the president. More than these political connections, the House must satisfy its duty to address the issue of accountability and the investigation of its questionable use. The media should keep this on their agenda, addressing this issue and pressing for its pursuit before Congress adjourns on February 8.