The second impeachment complaint against Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was officially filed and received on Monday after House Secretary General Cheloy Velicaria Garafil accepted the complaint.

Following its acceptance, the complainants called on House Speaker Faustino Dy III to include the second complaint in the Order of Business alongside the first impeachment complaint filed earlier by lawyer Andre de Jesus.

The second complaint was filed by members of progressive groups and endorsed by lawmakers from the Makabayan coalition.

The complaint was initially submitted last Thursday, but staff of the Office of the Secretary General said they could not receive it at the time as Garafil was out of the country.

ACT Teachers Representative Antonio Tinio said Garafil received the complaint on Monday and that under House rules, it should be immediately referred to the Speaker. However, Tinio said there was no definite commitment from Garafil that the referral would be made promptly.

Under House rules, the Speaker has 10 session days to include an impeachment complaint in the Order of Business.

Tinio said sufficient time is needed to consolidate the second complaint with the first one filed by de Jesus. He added that there is no justification for the House to claim that a single impeachment complaint is enough to proceed.

Bayan president Renato Reyes Jr. raised concern that if the second complaint is not immediately referred to the Speaker, the first complaint could be included in the Order of Business on Monday and transmitted to the committee, effectively initiating the impeachment process.

Reyes warned that this would result in the exclusion of other impeachment complaints from the proceedings.

He said that if this happens, the “script” would be obvious, suggesting that the House only intends to consider the first complaint, which he said has been suspected of being weak.

Reyes added that such a move would constitute bad faith and could undermine the credibility of the impeachment process.

Makabayan’s second impeachment complaint accuses Marcos of betrayal of public trust and alleges the institutionalization of systemic corruption and patronage, abuse of discretionary power over unprogrammed appropriations, and direct personal involvement in kickback schemes.