Dismissal of BBM impeach rap hit

The Makabayan bloc on Tuesday strongly condemned the junking by the House of Representatives of the impeachment complaint against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., saying it was a blatant attempt to shield him from accountability.

“This is not the end of the fight for justice — it is only the beginning. The Filipino people will not allow the highest official of the land to escape responsibility for the systematic corruption simply because his allies in Congress chose to protect him,” the group said.

Makabayan slammed as baseless and dishonest the majority’s arguments for dismissing the complaint, stressing that the filing of an impeachment complaint was not the stage for weighing the evidence.

“They claim there is no evidence, but that is a lie. This is not yet the phase for determining guilt — that comes during trial and the finding of probable cause,” the bloc said.

According to the group, the complaint is backed by extensive documents and sworn testimonies, including the so-called BBM Parametric Formula issued in 2022, which allegedly guided budget insertions based on political priorities.

It also cited Special Allotment Release Orders showing Marcos approved P213.8 billion in unprogrammed appropriations linked to tainted flood control projects. Whistleblower former DPWH undersecretary Roberto Bernardo allegedly detailed billions in kickbacks involving top officials, while the so-called Cabral files listed allocations tied to the Office of the President and the Executive Secretary.

The bloc pointed to DPWH data showing flood control budgets ballooning from P75.1 billion in 2016 to P371.4 billion in 2025, along with a massive rise in unprogrammed funds under the current administration.

The Makabayan bloc further claimed that Bernardo’s testimony showed Marcos personally ordered P100 billion in budget insertions, handled P52 billion of it, and allegedly received P8 billion in kickbacks.