House justice panel upholds dismissal of two impeach raps vs Marcos

The House justice panel approved Monday the committee report junking the two impeachment complaints against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. due to insufficiency in substance with 39 yes votes against four no votes.

The House justice panel made the committee report approval five days after it found the complaints insufficient in substance.

“Dahil nanindigan ang Justice Committee na hindi sufficient in substance ang De Jesus at Maza et al. complaints, pinagtibay na rin ng Committee na i-dismiss ang dalawang impeachment complaints laban sa ating Pangulo,” House justice panel chairperson and Batangas 2nd District Representative Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro said.

(Because the committee stands by its decision that the complaints lodged by De Jesus and Maza et al are insufficient in substance, the committee affirms the committee report dismissing the complaints against the President.)

“There is nothing in the statements of [former Public Works and Highways] Undersecretary [Roberto] Bernardo that directly link the President,” House justice panel member and Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus Rodriguez said, referring to the allegations in the impeachment complaint that includes Bernardo accusing the President, though then-Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and Presidential Legislative Liaison Office chief Adrian Bersamin, getting kickbacks off budget insertions from flood control projects.

The two impeachment complaints lodged against the President are:

• filed by De Jesus which accuses the President of betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution, among others, for 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 Makabayan complaint which alleged 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. 

Bernardo's allegations were also made by Ako Bicol party-list Rep. and ex-House appropriations panel chairperson Zaldy Co, although Co made his allegations in a series of videos, not in a notarized affidavit. 

Since Co made the allegations without taking an oath, House justice panel vice chairperson and Bukidnon 2nd District Rep. Keith Flores said these are not enough to make the impeachment complaint against the President sufficient in substance.

There was no attestation or authentication by Mr. Zaldy Co. We cannot let that be the standard for an impeachment complaint,” Flores said. 

Former Gabriela party-list representative Liza Maza, who was one of the complainants in the second complaint, earlier called out the House justice panel for shielding the President from accountability over the flood control mess. 

"Pinatay ang katarungan para sa maraming mamamayan na naghahangad ng katarungan dahil sa malawakang korapsyon na kung saan ang Presidente mismo ang nasa tuktok," Maza said.

(Justice was killed...to the detriment of the people who are seeking justice over the massive corruption wherein the President is the mastermind.) 

TIMELINE: Impeachment proceedings vs. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

— RSJ, GMA Integrated News