Akbayan solon: Delays in impeachment raps further 鈥榚mbolden鈥� VP Duterte
Akbayan Rep. Percival Cendaña says delays in impeachment proceedings “embolden” Vice President Sara Duterte to “violate laws and aspire for the presidency” in an interview with reporters before a gathering of supporters at the Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (Edsa) Shrine on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. 黑料社 / JASON SIGALES
MANILA, Philippines — For Akbayan Rep. Percival Cendaña, delays in the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte “embolden her to violate laws and aim for the presidency.”
Cendaña made the comment on the sidelines of a gathering of sectoral and religious groups at the Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (Edsa) Shrine on Thursday, Jan. 16, urging the House to act on the impeachment complaints against the vice president.
“With every day that we delay the impeachment complaint, Sara Duterte is further emboldened to violate our laws and even wants to become the president of our country,” Cendaña told reporters in Filipino during an interview on the sidelines before the gathering.
“One month is too long. Even if we say there’s a Christmas break, there’s a vacation, in the end, accountability and justice shouldn’t wait,” he added in Filipino.
The vice president faces three impeachment complaints, the first of which was filed last Dec. 2 – over a month ago – by sectoral representatives, religious leaders and families of drug war victims and endorsed by Cendaña.
Article continues after this advertisementREAD: First impeachment complaint vs VP Sara filed at House
A second complaint was filed by progressive groups and a third by religious groups, all stemming from the vice president’s alleged misuse of public funds.
Over the weekend, Duterte reportedly declared that she was “seriously considering” running in the 2028 elections but did not explicitly say what position she intended to run for.
READ: Palace tags Duterte declaration to run in 2028 ‘too premature’
“The Mass this afternoon demonstrates the power of prayer. In the history of our country, prayers have changed history. This is where change begins to remove corrupt leaders from our country,” Cendaña said.
“Let fear not overpower and let strength prevail to hold VP Sara Duterte accountable for her abuses of power,” the Akbayan party-list representative added.
READ: Some solons looking for endorsers to expedite VP Duterte’s impeachment
Last Tuesday, House Secretary-General Reginald Velasco said several lawmakers were actively looking for at least 103 colleagues to endorse a fourth impeachment complaint against Duterte to expedite the process.
