3 impeach raps vs Aquino declared ‘sufficient in form’

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – After much debate over procedural matters, the House committee on justice on Tuesday, August 26, voted to declare as sufficient in form all 3 verified impeachment complaints against President Benigno Aquino III.

Lawmakers voted 53-1-1 and 42-7-4 to declare the first and second impeachment complaints against Aquino as sufficient in form while no objections were raised against the third one. 

The first two impeach raps against Aquino are over the government’s controversial spending scheme, the Disbursement Acceleration Program, several executive actions under which were declared as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, while the third one is over the Philippines-US Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

The complainants allege that Aquino should be impeached on the basis of committing culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and betrayal of public trust. 

Aquino allies took the first hearing on the matter as an opportunity to poke holes into the basic merits of the case. 

Deliberations on the complaints focused on whether sponsors of the first resolution, comprised of members of the leftist Makabayan bloc in the House, should amend their endorsements to reflect changes that were made after it was filed before the Office of the Secretary General. 

During his interpellation of Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares, Ilocos Norte Representative Rudy Fariñas noted that complainants Renato Reyes and Dante Jimenez struck out their organizations Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) and the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC), respectively, from the first impeachment complaint but the endorsement letter from the sponsors still included their organizations.

Colmenares said the complaint was amended to reflect the fact that Reyes and Jimenez filed the complaint in their individual capacities, doing away with the need to submit a resolution from their organizations as part of the complaint. 

Fariñas moved to allow the sponsors to “correct” their endorsement letters since the discrepancy between the names in the documents indicate that they are “endorsing a non-existing complaint.”

Colmenares, meanwhile, maintained that technical errors should not serve as a basis to declare an impeachment complaint as insufficient in form.

Iloilo Representative Niel Tupas Jr, Justice committee chair, ordered the secretariat to indicate the changes “in the interest of liberality and justice” but the ruling met objections.

Cavite 4th district Representative Elpidio Barzaga said such details were “very substantial” because it would indicate who the real complainants are. 

Meanwhile, Ako Bicol Representative Rodel Batocabe argued that admitting that there was a “discrepancy” in the verified impeachment complaint and the endorsement letter was an indication that the first complaint was defective in form. 

Tupas had to call at least two points of order and breaks before the hearing could move forward. 

In the end, the justice committee voted 51-4-1 to approve Fariñas’ motion to amend the endorsement.

Next steps 

Similar arguments were raised on the second impeachment complaint over DAP. 

Cagayan de Oro 2nd district Representative Rufus Rodriguez said the second impeachment complaint, filed by student and youth leaders, did not go through the proper verification process, as indicated by the lack of sufficient identification documents to accompany the complaint. 

But the sponsors maintained that the impeachment complaint is valid. 

“There is nothing to amend. The resolution is valid as it is,” Colmenares said. He stressed that the committee should focus on the grounds of the case rather than technicalities. 

Meanwhile, the third impeachment complaint on EDCA did not receive any objections.

The next round of deliberations on the impeachment complaints will be heard on Tuesday, September 2. All 3 complaints will go through at least two more rounds of voting to determine if they are sufficient in substance, and whether there are grounds for impeachment, before they go to plenary.  

Should the committee find that all 3 complaints are not sufficient in substance, the impeachment bids against Aquino will be deemed rejected and will no longer move forward. – Rappler.com