Umali vows due process in Duterte impeachment complaint

By: Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Sofia De Aros - 8 years ago

Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali. 黑料社 FILE PHOTO

Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali聽on Monday聽vowed that the impeachment complaint filed against President Rodrigo Duterte would go through the due legislative process.

In an interview with Radyo Inquirer聽on Monday, Umali said the impeachment complaint would still go through the usual legislative mill.

鈥淎y, mahabang proseso po yan (There鈥檚 still a long process to go),鈥� Umali said.

Umali said the justice committee which he chairs would still determine if the impeachment complaint against Duterte has form and substance and if there鈥檚 probable cause to have the President impeached.

搁贰础顿:听1st impeachment complaint filed vs Duterte for killings, graft

鈥淯na, pagbobotohan namin kung iyan ay sufficient in form, kung iyan ay sufficient in substance, at kung iyan ay may probable cause (First we will vote if this is sufficient in form and substance, and then if there is probable cause),鈥� Umali said.

Umali said if the committee finds the impeachment complaint sufficient in form and substance, the official facing an impeachment complaint is required to file a written response to the charges, which would still he deliberated by the justice committee.

Umali said the impeachment complaint will then be put to a vote in the House plenary. A vote of at least one-third of all the members of the House is needed before it can be transmitted to the Senate, which will try the official. The House will serve as the prosecuting panel, with the Senate as the impeachment court.

The 1987 Constitution prohibits impeachment proceedings against the same official more than once within a period of one year.

Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano last Thursday filed the complaint against the President for the latter鈥檚 alleged hand in the vigilante killings by the Davao Death Squad and the spate of extrajudicial killings at the height of his administration鈥檚 war on drugs, as well as his alleged P2.2 billion hidden wealth.

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, Duterte鈥檚 ally in Congress, then tagged Vice President Leni聽Robredo聽as being behind the impeachment move against Duterte, noting that the filing of Magdalo鈥檚 impeachment complaint coincided with the Vice President鈥檚 message to the United Nations聽Commission聽on聽Narcotic Drugs critical of the government鈥檚 narcotics war.

Alvarez said Robredo may be impeached for betrayal of public trust for putting the country in a bad light before the international community.

搁贰础顿:听Alvarez eyes impeachment rap vs Robredo this time聽

鈥淎ng pananaw ko dito, may betrayal of public trust鈥β燢ung ikaw, ipagpapalagay nating totoo ang pagkakahalal, sisiraan mo ang bayan sa international community nang walang pakundangan, ano ang magiging epekto nun? Economically, may impact po yun,鈥澛燗lvarez聽said.

(My view here is there is betrayal of public trust.. If we assume that her election in office was legitimate and true, and then you put the country in a bad light before the international community, what would be the effect of that? Economically, there will be an impact.)

Alvarez聽also聽took聽a hit at the legitimacy聽of Vice President聽Robredo, who faces an election protest filed by聽former senator聽Bongbong Marcos聽after the latter lost by聽a margin of 200,000 votes. Bongbong is the son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Marcos loyalists Oliver Lozano and Melchor Chavez聽on Monday聽asked Alvarez to endorse their impeachment complaint against Robredo for betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution.

In her six-minute video to the 60th United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs annual meeting in Vienna, Robredo criticized the administration鈥檚 drug war and聽exposed the police 鈥減alit ulo鈥� scheme of allegedly taking in the kin of drug suspects if the latter were missing.