House kills impeach bid vs President Bongbong Marcos

MANILA, Philippines (Updated 5:40 p.m.) — The House of Representatives on Tuesday effectively killed the first impeachment bid against President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., adopting a justice committee resolution that dismissed the complaints for being insufficient in substance.

During the plenary session held on Tuesday, February 10, Justice Committee Chair Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro (Batangas, 2nd District) presented the panel's findings regarding the complaints' sufficiency in form and substance.

"Sufficiency in substance is not measured by the volume of bare allegations and annexes that are unsubstantiated by personal knowledge and authentic records," Luistro said. 

Applause broke out in the plenary as Deputy Speaker Janette Garin announced the adoption of House Resolution 746, with 284 votes in favor, eight against, and four abstentions.

Rep. Leila de Lima (ML Party-list) was among the eight who opposed the resolution, stressing that the plenary's vote does not clear the president's name of the serious yet unanswered allegations against him and only weakens the admin's credibility in pursuing transparency and anti-corruption efforts. 

"Public doubt does not disappear when we refuse to examine it. It stays, it lingers, it hardens and it becomes part of political memory," she said in explaining her vote.

Rep. Rodante Marcoleta (SAGIP Party-list) also voted no, saying that the justice committee's decision to dismiss the complaints has only made it more difficult for ordinary Filipinos to seek accountability from impeachable officers. 

He pointed out that the committee could not even agree on a clear, concrete definition of what constitutes a recital of facts or what makes a complaint sufficient in substance.

Rep. Edgar Erice (Caloocan, 3rd District) also reiterated the argument he made during committee deliberation that a recital of facts does not yet require proof, authentication, or a trial.

He said these matters are addressed in the second stage of impeachment proceedings, where hearings examine evidence, call witnesses, and hear both the respondent and the complainants.

"When Congress blocks the presentation of evidence, Congress blocks the search for truth," he said in a manifestation. 

The three-member Makabayan bloc that endorsed the second complaint also opposed the House's junking of a Marcos impeachment bid. In a statement, the minority lawmakers described the majority's justification as "baseless, dishonest, and designed to protect the president." 

"The killing of the impeachment complaint does not end the search for accountability. It only exposes a bankrupt and corrupted political system," the bloc added. 

Some members in support of the Dutertes, specifically Reps. Paolo Duterte, Harold Duterte, Omar Duterte and Isidro Ungab, chose to withhold their vote. In a statement, the lawmakers said they "refuse to be used as props in a production that pretends to seek justice."  

The House Committee on Justice deliberated on the two complaints in the span of three hearings, voting both sufficient in form but not in substance.

More minority lawmakers were in support of the Makabayan-endorsed complaint's merits than the first, which was filed by lawyer Andre de Jesus and endorsed by Rep. Jett Nisay (Pusong Pinoy Party-list).

The first complaint raised five allegations against Marcos, accusing him of violating the Constitution over the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte, being unfit to serve due to an alleged drug addiction, failing to veto unprogrammed funds, and benefiting from kickbacks.

Meanwhile, the second complaint accused Marcos of betrayal of public trust, citing three acts: the creation of a parametric formula that institutionalized district infrastructure allocations, the authorization of unprogrammed funds, and his alleged role in allowing a kickback scheme.

Since the complaints were junked, no other impeachment proceedings can be initiated against Marcos within the same year.