‘Railroading of sham’ impeachment assailed: PDP Laban hits ‘dirty politics’

The Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan (PDP Laban) strongly condemned on Thursday what it called the “railroading of a sham” impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte.

“The PDP Laban expresses its extreme disgust and condemnation over the railroaded and sham impeachment by the House of Representatives of Vice President Sara Duterte, less than halfway through a six-year term where she received 32.2 million votes — the most votes ever cast for a candidate in Philippine history,” the party said in a statement, following the progress of the impeachment complaints against Duterte.

The party described the move as “the clearest manifestation of dirty politics in the country,” labeling it an “affront to the sovereign will of the Filipino people” and a “reckless abuse of power.”

“Obviously, the railroading of the impeachment against the Vice President was executed with precision by desperate members of the House of Representatives to distract from the worsening situation of the country,” the statement continued. “Through this railroaded impeachment complaint, they wish to sweep under the rug the unprecedented scandals that have enraged the public.”

PDP Laban also criticized the impeachment as an attempt to “destroy VP Sara Duterte’s chances of seeking a higher office in 2028.”

“The vast majority of the people support the Vice President and have seen through this sham impeachment as nothing more than dirty politics,” the party added.

The party also recalled the stance of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. regarding the impeachment of Duterte. “The President himself has told the House of Representatives to halt the impeachment complaint and address the problems facing ordinary Filipinos. Why not address the growing discontent and frustration across the country resulting from worsening peace and order, graft and corruption, and poverty?” the statement said.

PDP Laban urged the public to remain thoughtful amid the tense political climate. “As the election draws near, PDP Laban urges all Filipino voters to choose wisely who they will vote for, especially in the Senate, where the fate of VP Sara will be decided.”

“At the end of the day, impeachment is a numbers game, and the more allies she has in the Senate, the better it will be for our country,” the party concluded.

What are the grounds for impeachment?

The seven Articles of Impeachment filed by the House accuse Duterte of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption, and other high crimes — impeachable offenses under the Constitution, excluding treason.

In Article I, Duterte is accused of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, and other high crimes for allegedly threatening to plot the murder or assassination of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez. This threat was publicly announced by Duterte during a Facebook Live session on 23 November, amid the ongoing House investigation into her confidential funds.

Article II accuses Duterte of betraying public trust and committing graft and corruption by allegedly misappropriating and malversing the P500 million in confidential funds allocated to her office and the P112.5 million allocated to the Department of Education (DepEd) during her tenure as secretary.

In Article III, Duterte is again accused of betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and bribery. While no explicit rationale is provided, the article references the testimony of at least four DepEd officials, including former undersecretary Michael Poa, who admitted receiving cash envelopes from Duterte. Ex-undersecretary Gloria Mercado revealed that these envelopes sometimes contained as much as P50,000 monthly.

Article IV accuses Duterte of culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust for allegedly amassing unexplained wealth and failing to declare her properties in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN). This is similar to the charges brought against the late former Supreme Court Justice Renato Corona, who was impeached on the same grounds in December 2011.

Article V accuses Duterte of committing high crimes, including murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

Article VI alleges that Duterte engaged in acts of destabilization, which constitutes a culpable violation of the Constitution and high crimes such as sedition and insurrection.

Finally, Article VII asserts that the totality of the aforementioned acts demonstrates that Duterte is unfit to remain in office.

The case now moves to the Senate, where a two-thirds vote (at least 16 of the 24 sitting senators) is required to convict and remove Duterte from office. If convicted, Duterte would be permanently disqualified from holding any public office in the future.

However, a conviction would not extend beyond removal from office and disqualification. Any subsequent prosecution or punishment, including imprisonment, would be determined by the judicial courts.

If Duterte survives the impeachment trial, the House, which holds the exclusive power to initiate impeachment proceedings, would need to wait at least one year before filing another petition, as mandated by the Constitution.