A fourth impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte is likely to be filed in the second week of January when Congress resumes 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, mentioned that the first three impeachment petitions have yet to advance in the committee on justice because Secretary General Reginald Velasco may still be waiting for a possible 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 he has not yet been referred. So, let's wait and see until January 13. Perhaps the Secretary-General is still awaiting the fourth [complaint],” she said in an interview.

Velasco confirmed to DAILY TRIBUNE that he has not yet transmitted the three petitions to the Office of the Speaker, pending review by the House of Representatives legal department on the merits of the case.

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

Afterward, the complaint should then 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 mid-term elections are one of the primary reasons that could hamper the efforts to oust Duterte. However, Castro insisted, “In terms of time limitation, I think we have time.”

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

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

The House had already proven it before on the late Supreme Court Justice Renato Corona, whom they impeached on the same day that the complaint was filed against him on 12 December, 2011.

Castro said that the Makabayan bloc is still courting the supermajority coalition in the House to sign the resolution, although some of its members have already committed to signing the same.

One of the factors contributing to the slow progress of the signature drive was that some lawmakers were waiting for the go-signal of 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,” she stated.

Makabayan endorsed complaint

The Makabayan bloc, comprised of Castro, Representatives Arlene Brosas (Gabriela), and Raoul Manuel (Kabataan), was the endorser of 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 has been rigorously investigating 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 (P112.5 million) when she headed the latter.

The petitioners — comprised of various groups, including lawyers, priests, and former lawmakers — want to remove Duterte from office over 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 attack to discredit her in the upcoming elections.

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