Mindanao vote could deter Congress support for VP Sara impeachment: House Exec

Apart from a “very short time frame,” votes from Mindanao could be a key factor that might discourage congressmen running for a national post in the May 2025 elections to support efforts to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte, a top official of the House of Representatives said Tuesday.

In an interview, House Secretary General Reginald Velasco assumed that members of the House are “hesitant” to sign one of the impeachment petitions for fear that it could have a boomerang effect on their respective bids in the upcoming mid-term polls.

“The moment they endorse through their signature, through a resolution any of the complaints, it could affect their reelection efforts especially [if] one congressman is running for a national post like a senatorial bet or partylist,” he said.

“Maybe one of their concerns is the votes that they could gather potentially from Mindanao,” Velasco added.

Unlike congressmen whose only concern in every election is their respective legislative districts, partylist and senators are elected at large by the entire electorate.

In November last year, the Commission on Elections-Davao Region (Comelec-Region) disclosed that more than three million voters have registered for the May 2025 elections, with Davao City, the bailiwick of the Dutertes, leading the list with 1,007,794 new registered voters.

It was followed by Davao del Norte with 721,737, Davao de Oro with 551,671, and Davao del Sur with 464,812. Davao Oriental is in the fifth spot with 435,188 registered voters, while Davao Occidental has the lowest at 205,737.

Ahead of the 2022 elections then, Davao City is the third most vote-rich city, followed by Cebu City and Caloocan.

According to Velasco, the scheduled meeting today, Wednesday of the Makabayan bloc — the endorser of the second petition — with other endorsers of the impeachment complaints will involve a discussion to have the three petitions consolidated into one.

“They are planning to talk with the other proponents so that they will attempt to consolidate their complaints into one, which is still allowed by our rules,” he averred.

The Makabayan bloc, Reps. France Castro (ACT Teachers), Arlene Brosas (Gabriela), and Raoul Manuel (Kabataan) had revealed that they have started garnering the required 1/3 votes, or equivalent to 106 members of the House, to fast-track the impeachment proceedings and elevate the petitions to the Senate, which will sit as a trial court.

Castro previously disclosed that some members of the minority bloc have already pledged their support while congressmen from the supermajority coalition are still waiting for the official stance of their respective political parties.

However, Velasco also disclosed that other congressmen from the majority bloc are still mulling options on whether to endorse one of three impeachment complaints filed earlier or will endorse a fourth petition this week or when the session resumes on the 13th.

The said complaints accused Duterte of culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption, and betrayal of public trust — all grounds for impeachment except for treason.

The petitions are still pending with Velasco’s office. Under the constitution, the House Secretary General shall immediately refer the complaints to the Office of the Speaker.

In the event that Speaker Martin Romualdez receives the impeachment complaints, the document shall be included in the order of business within ten session days from receipt.

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.

However, based on the House calendar, Congress will only have nine session days when it reconvenes on 13 January, Monday, after a month-long holiday break. By 7 February, Congress will adjourn again for the election campaign.

Given the tedious process, chances of dethroning Duterte might be highly improbable, according to some congressmen because whether the House takes the shortcut route, or musters the required 1/3 votes, their effort would still be up in the air given that the term of the current lawmakers — in the House and in the Senate — is set to end on 30 June and a new batch of legislators will be sworn in.

The complainants, coming from multi-sectoral groups, heavily anchored on findings by the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, which investigated alleged irregularities in Duterte's use of P612.5 million in confidential funds — P500 million for the Office of the Vice President and P112.5 million for the Department of Education during her tenure as its head.

While the VP has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, she remains unfazed, viewing the impending trial as an opportunity to “exclusively” address the corruption allegations leveled against her.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had already appealed to his allies in the House to stop any attempt to overthrow Duterte. 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.