THE House of Representatives must expedite the impeachment complaint against Vice-President (VP) Sara Duterte-Carpio by next week and let the Senate deal with the time constraints, a lawmaker said on Sunday.
“If we can secure the 103 endorsers next week, it will be immediately passed to the Senate, and there will be no need to worry about the number or attendance of congressmen because the Senate will handle it,” Deputy Minority Leader and Party-list Rep. France L. Castro said in a statement in Filipino.
“The Senate can then promptly tackle this or call for a special session, if necessary,” she added.
Minority lawmakers and opposition groups are pressing the Philippine Congress to fast-track ouster complaints against Ms. Duterte, who is facing a slew of impeachable allegations against her at the House. They accused her of corruption, bribery and betrayal of public trust.
Moves seeking her impeachment come as the 19th Congress is set to conclude. Lawmakers will go on a four-month break starting in February to give way for the 2025 midterm election, when Filipinos will choose a new set of congressmen for the House and 12 of the 24-member Senate. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio
