The Philippine President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III is now under fire as the first valid impeachment complaint against the country’s top official was endorsed by a total of three representatives, over the President’s controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).
See Also: Complete Text of the Impeachment Complaint vs. Pres. Aquino
During the previous impeachment complaint against the President were not valid because no representative endorsed the impeachment complaint unlike the impeachment complaint filed on Monday, July 21, 2014, that a total of three Congressmen from the leftist Makabayan bloc in the House of Representative endorsed the impeachment.
According to Philippine laws, the House of Representative has the exclusive power to initiate the impeachment process against the President. Barring technical issues, the House committee on justice is mandated to tackle the complaint signed by 28 individuals who campaigned against the DAP and the controversial pork barrel issue.
Iloilo Representative and House Committee on Justice Chairman Niel Tupas Jr., told reporters in an interview that the impeachment endorsed by the Makabayan bloc is the first valid complaint. He was quoted as saying “This is the first valid complaint. There’s a presumption of regularity because of the endorsement…. We’re ready. I will ask for advance copy but, officially, it won’t be referred [to the committee] until the SONA (State of the Nation Address),” Cong. Niel Tupas Jr. stated.
Congressman Tupas added further that it would be the first impeachment hearing against President Aquino, one of the country’s most popular head of state who controls both chambers of Congress, the Lower and Upper House.
President Aquino was also known as the country’s leader who used the impeachment process to remove the leader of another branch of government, the former Chief Justice Renato Corona, the head of the Judicial Branch of government.
