DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Hours before the House Committee on Justice began its hearing, Vice-President Leni Robredo on Monday claimed that the impeachment case filed by Magdalo Representative Gary Alejano against President Rodrigo Duterte will not prosper.
“Yung impeachment is a political process and yung ating pangulo very popular. Kung babasehin natin sa statements ng member ng house, mukhang konti yung support na makukuha nito”
(The impeachment is a political process and our president is very popular. If we base it on the statements of the members of the House, it looks like the complaint will gather few votes), Robredo told reporters here when she attended the opening of the National Indigenous People’s Education Festival at the University of Southeastern Philippines in Mintal.
Robredo was in Davao because she was invited as the guest speaker for Monday’s event.
“Mahalaga pa rin yung proseso kasi ito ay bahagi ng Democratic institutions natin, democratic processes pero yun, honest assessment kung tingin ko magproprosper o hindi, tingin ko hindi”
(I think the process is still very important because it is part of our democratic institutions and processes but my honest assessment is that it will not prosper), she added.
The complaint filed by Alejano accused Duterte for having a significant role in the spate of extrajudicial killings during his term as then mayor of Davao City, and now President. He also branded Duterte’s lenient attitude on the maritime disputes with China as “betrayal public trust” and “culpable violations” of the Constitution.
But the House of Representatives Committee on Justice has junked on Monday the impeachment complaint against Duterte after it ruled that the rap was “insufficient in substance.”
House Majority Floor Leader Rudy Fariñas criticized Alejano for basing his complaints on hearsay, using electronic sources such as news articles and testimonies of other witnesses.
“Clearly, it’s not in his personal knowledge. That is the defect here. You are introducing statements under oath, these are not your own. Lalabas hearsay po ito,” Fariñas said.
Alejano reasoned out that he had personal knowledge of his allegations because he was certain of the verifiability of the records.
“I culled from important records including the news reports regarding the authentic records. I understand we are not here where we would present the evidence. There is no marking of evidence yet,” Alejano said.
Alejano’s impeachment complaint is the first complaint lodged against Duterte who has been president for only 11 months. (davaotoday.com)
