A fourth impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte is likely to be filed in the second week of January when Congress resumes its session following a month-long holiday break, a House leader disclosed Friday.

House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro, one of the staunchest critics of Duterte, said the first three impeachment complaints have yet to advance in the committee on justice because House Secretary General Reginald Velasco may still be waiting game for a fourth petition.

“I think they are still waiting for another impeachment complaint. Or maybe the justice committee is already starting to study the three [impeachment complaints] even though they have not yet been referred. So, let’s wait and see until 13 January. Perhaps the Secretary-General is still awaiting the fourth [complaint],” Castro said in an interview.

Velasco had confirmed to DAILY TRIBUNE that he had not yet transmitted the three petitions to the Office of the Speaker, pending a review by the House legal department of the merits of the cases.

The Constitution mandates the House Secretary General to refer an impeachment complaint to the House Speaker, and within 10 session days from receipt, the document shall be included in the order of business.

After, the complaint should be referred within three session days to the House Committee on Justice, which shall then determine whether the complaint is sufficient in form and substance.

Within 60 session days, the panel shall submit its report to the plenary. The House then has 10 session days to calendar it for resolution.

Time constraints owing to the upcoming midterm election are one of the primary reasons that could hamper the efforts to oust Duterte. But Castro insisted that “In terms of time limitation, I think we have time.”

Support pledged

The lawmaker confirmed that some members of the minority bloc had pledged to support the signature drive launched by the Makabayan coalition, aimed at securing one-third of the votes, or equivalent to 106 House members, to fast-track the impeachment proceedings.

Mustering the required votes of one-third is a shortcut allowed by the Constitution for the House to immediately elevate the petitions to the Senate, which will sit as the trial court.

The House had already this against the late Supreme Court Justice Renato Corona who was impeached on the same day the complaint was filed against him on 12 December 2011.

Castro said the Makabayan bloc is still courting the supermajority coalition in the House to sign the resolution, with some of the congressmen committing to sign the petition.

One of the factors contributing to the slow progress of the signature drive was some lawmakers waiting for a go-signal from their respective political parties.

“As you can see, in Congress, there are party decisions. So our colleagues, they just wait and see of course what the decision of the leadership will be, and they will follow it,” Castro said.

The Makabayan bloc, composed of Castro, Representatives Arlene Brosas (Gabriela) and Raoul Manuel (Kabataan), endorsed the second impeachment complaint filed by over 70 complainants from civil society groups against Duterte.

All three impeachment petitions relied heavily on the findings of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, which had rigorously investigated the alleged irregularities in the use by Duterte of P612.5 million in confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President (P500 million) and the Department of Education (112.5 million) when she headed the latter.

Culpable violation

The petitioners — comprised of various groups, including lawyers, priests, and former lawmakers — want Duterte removed from office over her alleged culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption, and betrayal of public trust.

Duterte has repeatedly denied the allegations of funds mismanagement and claimed that the House probe was part of a political plan to discredit her ahead of the coming elections.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had appealed to his allies in the House to stop the attempt to remove Duterte from office. The influential Iglesia Ni Cristo echoed Marcos’ call to lawmakers and has threatened to conduct a nationwide rally to oppose the impeachment.