Oliver Lozano files complaint vs. Alejano over Duterte impeach rap

Lawyer Oliver Lozano has filed a complaint against Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano for allegedly basing his impeachment complaint against President Rodrigo Duterte on “unproven information.”

Lozano charged Alejano of falsification and violation of Code of Conduct for Public Officials.

In his two-page complaint filed with the Office of the Ombudsman on Friday, Lozano claimed that Alejano’s allegations against Duterte were only hearsay that has “no probative value.”

“He filed a complaint for impeachment which states: That the Mayor DU30 (Duterte) was behind the alleged death squad’s eyewitness of 1,400 individuals; that the President DU30 is behind the death of 7,000 drug suspects; that he is hiding P2.2 billion from his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) and that he hired 11,000 ghost employees when he was Davao City mayor,” Lozano said in his complaint, adding that Alejano based his allegations on his personal knowledge.

“But he has no personal knowledge. His allegations are based on unproven information,” Lozano added.

Alejano, in his impeachment complaint filed with the House of Representatives on Thursday, cited Duterte for culpable violation of the Constitution, engaging in bribery, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.

But Lozano claimed that the impeachment complaint was only a move to oust Duterte from his position and install Vice President Leni Robredo as president.

“I believe that the complaint for impeachment is part of sustained propaganda to eliminate DU30 and elevate Leni [Robredo] in order to usher the return of the yellow gand [sic]: plunderers, druglords, gambling lords, smugglers, oligarchs, landgrabbers, the vindictive, corrupt and incompetent,” his complaint read.

Lozano also claimed that the plot to oust Duterte is supported by the US Central Intelligence Agency, Amnesty International, International Human Rights Watch and the European Union “to advance their selfish interest to the prejudice of public interest.”

“Premises considered, the incendiary plot to impeach the President should be nipped in the bid in the interest of public welfare by the Representatives of the people with overwhelming support of the enlightened citizenry,” Lozano said in his complaint.

It can be recalled that Lozano filed an impeachment complaint against then- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2005 and in many other occasions during her term.

Aside from this, Lozano also filed an impeachment complaint against former President Benigno Aquino III for betrayal of public trust over the implementation of the Disbursement Acceleration Program in 2014.

Lozano also accused Aquino and Senator Antonio Trillanes IV in connection with the alleged back-channel negotiations of the Philippines with China over the disputed territories in the West Philippine Sea.  — RSJ, GMA News