PBBM impeachment complaint junked by House panel

Members of the House of Representatives’ justice committee have formally dismissed the impeachment complaints against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., after 39 panel members approved the committee report.

The report was presented during Monday’s hearing, followed by discussions prompted by questions from members of the Makabayan bloc regarding why it claimed the two complaints against Marcos lacked factual allegations.

After the discussion, the matter was put to a vote, with only four members opposing the report.

To recall, two impeachment complaints were filed against Marcos: the first by lawyer Andre de Jesus on January 19, followed by members of the Makabayan Coalition on January 22.

Both complaints were declared sufficient in form on February 3 after being referred to the Committee on Justice, but a day later, they were deemed insufficient in substance.

For the de Jesus complaint, 42 members voted to dismiss it, with only its endorser, Pusong Pinoy party-list Rep. Jernie Jett Nisay, voting to find it sufficient in substance.

For the Makabayan bloc complaint, 39 members declared it insufficient in substance, while seven voted for its sufficiency.

The de Jesus complaint was criticized by lawmakers due to fatal defects, saying its allegations relied largely on speculation, media reports, and hearsay.

In the complaint, De Jesus sought Marcos’ removal over alleged drug use, corruption, and other acts lawmakers said lacked supporting evidence.

But Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice said the allegations that Marcos used illegal drugs were hearsay, and claims that the President created the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to protect corrupt allies did not constitute impeachable offenses, adding that although the ICI had failed following the resignation of key members, its creation did not constitute grounds for impeachment.

The view of Erice was echoed by Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., who said while the ICI should have had stronger investigative and subpoena powers, its establishment alone was not an impeachable act.

Several solons, as early as January, said the de Jesus complaint was weak and could be easily dismissed for lack of form and substance, prompting the Makabayan Coalition to file its own impeachment complaint.

Three grounds were cited by the Makabayan complaint: the alleged institutionalization of corruption through the “BBM Parametric Formula,” alleged abuse of discretionary powers in the allocation and use of unprogrammed appropriations, and alleged direct personal involvement in budgetary insertions and kickback schemes.

However, during the hearing, committee vice chairperson and San Juan Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora questioned the sufficiency of the Makabayan complaint, saying that an imperfect policy such as the so-called BBM Parametric Formula could not be considered an impeachable offense.