House panel rules two impeachment complaints vs. Marcos sufficient in form

The House Committee on Justice on Monday declared sufficient in form two impeachment complaints filed by lawyer Andre de Jesus and the Makabayan Coalition against President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., clearing the way for the next stage of impeachment proceedings.

During the hearing, the two complaints were taken up separately. Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez moved to declare the impeachment complaint filed by de Jesus sufficient in form.

Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. objected, arguing that the de Jesus complaint was not sufficient in form. This prompted committee chair and Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro to divide the House.

Abante said he did not properly hear the explanation on the sufficiency in form, which led him to object.

The committee later voted on the matter, with 46 members declaring the de Jesus complaint sufficient in form, one voting against it, and one abstaining.

With respect to the Makabayan Coalition’s complaint, Rodriguez raised an objection, saying the copy handed to him was allegedly not notarized. Luistro clarified, however, that the complaint had undergone thorough verification.

The Makabayan petition was eventually put to a vote, with 35 members voting in favor, nine against, and one abstention.

De Jesus filed the impeachment complaint on 19 January, endorsed by Pusong Pinoy party-list Rep. Jernie Jett Nisay. His 14-page complaint cited six grounds, which he said constitute culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and betrayal of public trust.

These included allegations that Marcos ordered and enabled the kidnapping and surrender of former president Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court; allegations of drug use impairing judgment and leadership; failure to veto unprogrammed appropriations and unconstitutional provisions of the General Appropriations Acts for 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026; alleged kickbacks linked to budget insertions and ghost flood control projects; the alleged creation of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure to shield allies; and alleged constitutional violations and betrayal of public trust related to Duterte’s surrender to the ICC.

Several lawmakers have questioned the strength of the de Jesus complaint. Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice said the complaint “can easily be dismissed” for lacking form and substance, adding that only the issue of unprogrammed appropriations and its alleged link to infrastructure corruption merited further scrutiny.

This criticism prompted the Makabayan bloc to file a separate impeachment complaint focusing on the alleged existence of the “BBM Parametric Formula,” a Department of Public Works and Highways policy described as “Baselined-Balanced-Managed.”

The Makabayan bloc said the formula, which uses the President’s initials based on his nickname Bongbong, allegedly “provided the justification for Presidential and Congressional infrastructure project allocations in the national budget” and was supposedly the basis for kickbacks or prior commitments.