Makabayan Pushes Forward as Marcos Impeachment Complaint Is Filed Again
MARCOS – A renewed impeachment push against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is stirring controversy in Congress after the Makabayan bloc formally refiled its complaint.
Progressive leaders and lawmakers from the Makabayan bloc formally refiled on Monday their second impeachment complaint against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., after it was officially received by the Office of the House Secretary General.
The filing came days after their initial attempt last Thursday failed when House Secretary General Cheloy Garafil declined to accept the complaint, citing her absence at the time. Garafil was reportedly abroad to receive an award, prompting the group to return and resubmit the complaint once her office was able to receive it.
ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio, one of the endorsers of the complaint, said they urged Garafil to immediately transmit the impeachment complaint to the Office of the House Speaker, as required by House rules. However, Tinio said Garafil did not commit to a same-day referral, explaining that such action does not usually happen based on tradition.
“Ang malinaw na nakasaad sa rules ay the Secretary General shall immediately refer to the Speaker. Inilabas nga namin itong rules, at sabi natin, ‘Well, SecGen, ni-receive mo na. Ang tungkulin mo na ngayon ay immediate referral to the Speaker.’ Unfortunately, hindi nga siya nagko-commit na ngayon mismo,” Tinio narrated.
He added, “Ang sinabi niya, ‘According to tradition, wala pong nangyayari na on the same day ay nire-refer sa Speaker ang complaint,’ which, to me, does not make sense. Bakit tila may problema ang mga opisyal ng gobyerno sa pag-intindi ng mga simpleng salita? Dati ‘forthwith’, ngayon naman ‘immediately,’”
Complainant Renato Reyes said Garafil cited the handling of the first impeachment complaint as precedent. “Ang sina-cite niyang example, ‘yung first complaint daw the day after niya na-transmit sa Speaker. So ang kinomit lang niya ay tulad daw ng naunang complaint, she can commit that she will transmit our complaint to the Speaker tomorrow,” Reyes said.
The group also raised concerns over the possible referral of the first impeachment complaint, which they described as weak, warning that its referral to the House Committee on Justice could activate the one-year ban on filing additional complaints.
“Ngayon nung tinanong namin, ‘Paano ‘yan, baka magkaroon na ng referral mamaya? Hindi na kami makasama. Mamadaliin n’yo ‘yung referral to trigger the one year ban.’ Sabi niya labas na sa kanya ‘yun. Hindi niya kayang bigyan kami ng assurance na hindi mangyayari ‘yun mamaya,” Reyes said.
He added, “‘Pag nag-refer sila mamaya, edi halatang-halata na ‘yung script nila. Ibig sabihin, wala talaga silang intensyon na pakinggan ‘yung iba pang reklamo… para ma-exclude na ‘yung ibang complaints at ma-trigger ‘yung one-year ban,” he added.
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