Marcos: It's only proper for Sandro to recuse from impeachment proceedings

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. said it is only proper for his son, Ilocos Norte Representative Ferdinand Alexander ''Sandro'' Marcos, to recuse himself from the deliberations on the impeachment complaints filed against him. 

The President said the lawmaker has not discussed the matter with him. 

''Hindi niya sinasabi sa akin. Pero tama 'yung ginagawa niya. That's very proper dahil I am his father. And siyempre, mayroon siyang bias for me,'' Marcos said. 

(He didn't inform me about it. But he did the right thing. That's very proper because I am his father. And of course, he has bias for me.)

''Tama 'yan, he should recuse himself. He should remove himself from the process so that the process can be seen to be fair and proper,'' he added. 

The younger Marcos has said he will recuse in the deliberations on the impeachment complaints filed against his father in order to preserve the integrity of the House of Representatives.

“This decision is guided not by legal compulsion, but by a higher obligation—to preserve the integrity of the House of Representatives, to protect the credibility of its processes, and to uphold the public’s trust in our constitutional system,” the lawmaker said. 

In a separate statement on Thursday, Sandro said he would inhibit from the entire impeachment process against his father.

“I have inhibited myself from the entire impeachment process involving the President. My inhibition likewise extends to the Committee on Justice, where my role is limited to an ex-officio capacity by virtue of my position as Majority Leader," he said. 

“The Committee on Justice will discharge its mandate independently, in full accordance with the Constitution and the Rules of the House,” he added.

So far, there are two impeachment complaints filed against the President:

• the complaint filed by lawyer Andre de Jesus and endorsed by Pusong Pinoy party-list Rep. alleging that the President should be impeached due to betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution, among others, over the following alleged acts: ordering and enabling the kidnapping and surrender of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court (ICC), being a drug addict whose condition impairs his judgment and leadership, failing to veto unprogrammed appropriations and other unconstitutional provisions of the national budget for 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026, among others and
• the complaint filed by Makabayan coalition endorsed by party-list opposition lawmakers Antonio Tinio of ACT Teachers, Sarah Elago of Gabriela and Renee Co of Kabataan party-list alleging that the President committed  betrayal of public trust over the adoption of the Baselined-Balanced-Managed (BBM) Parametric Formula in allocating infrastructure projects that allegedly led to "ghost", substandard, and overpriced flood management projects, among others.

The House must be allowed to discharge its constitutional duties without any shadow of personal interest, real or imagined, the younger Marcos said.

The House committee on justice will start its hearing on the impeachment complaints filed against President Marcos on February 2, Monday next week.

“We need to consolidate the two complaints because two complaints are not possible to be heard in the Justice Committee. So, we will be doing that during our initial hearing,” said panel chairperson Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro.

"By consolidation, they will be taken into consideration as one complaint. All of them [allegations in both complaints] will be deliberated upon before the Justice Committee," she added.

Sponsor needed

Meanwhile, House Assistant Minority Leader Zia Adiong said that those who want to file an impeachment complaint should follow the rules, including securing an endorser among the House of Representatives members.

Lawyer Ferdinand Topacio and other former government officials during the administration of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte had wanted to file an impeachment complaint against Marcos, but this fell through.

Topacio accused the House leadership of blocking their impeachment complaint. However, said Adiong, "The problem is straightforward: there is no House member endorser. Without an endorser, the complaint cannot move past the first stage of filing. That is what the rules clearly provide."

In a statement, the congressman added, "Naniniwala akong walang pumipigil sa kanila. Kung gusto talaga nilang umusad ang impeachment complaint nila, the rule is very simple: they need a House member to endorse it." 

(I believe nobody is stopping them from filing. If they want their complaint to push through, they should find an endorser for it.)

“The absence of an endorser is the main issue,” Adiong said. —with Llanesca T. Panti/AOL/BM, GMA Integrated News