House justice panel junks impeachment bids vs Marcos over weak evidence

House Justice Committee Chairperson Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro on Thursday said the two impeachment complaints filed against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. were junked after the panel found them insufficient in substance due to weak evidence and lack of connection to impeachable offenses.

Luistro said the committee’s decision was based on the comments and manifestations made by its members during three days of deliberations on the complaints.

“What I heard from them. One, walang connection (no connection), kung tawagin ni Congresswoman Leila de Lima ‘nexus’ between the allegation of facts and the impeachable ground,” Luistro said.

She explained that it is not enough for an official to be accused of an offense, as the causal connection or nexus between the alleged facts and the impeachable grounds must be clearly established.

Luistro also pointed out that the allegations were not based on personal knowledge or authentic records, both of which are required under House impeachment rules.

She said some committee members noted the absence of personal participation by the impeachable official, making it impossible to claim personal knowledge on the part of the complainants.

On the issue of documentary evidence, Luistro said members observed that several attachments consisted merely of news clippings, stressing that evidence must be authentic or certified.

Luistro added that allegations of graft and corruption against the President relied on a video involving former lawmaker Zaldy Co, who is currently under investigation over anomalous flood control projects.

She said the video has yet to be authenticated and that, for it to be admissible and substantiate the allegations, the person involved should personally appear and submit a subscribed affidavit to the committee to meet the requirement of sufficiency in substance.

Luistro clarified that the committee report declaring the impeachment complaints insufficient in substance is “tantamount to dismissal,” but remains subject to approval by at least one-third of all House members in plenary.

“If it will be disapproved by at least one-third of all the members of the plenary, that will amount to reversal. Parang binaligtad ang decision ng Justice committee. In which case, ibabalik ito sa Justice committee and the Justice committee will be constrained to come up with our articles of impeachment,” she said.

Luistro said that once the articles of impeachment are prepared, these must again be approved by at least one-third of House members for the case to be transmitted to the Senate.