Critic brags of enough impeach votes

Impeachment endorser Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. struck a confident tone yesterday, saying the House has the numbers to transmit the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte to the Senate, with “more than enough” votes to meet the one-third threshold once the case reaches the plenary.

“More than enough, yes,” Abante said during a forum in Quezon City when asked if the House of Representatives had the numbers.

Abante, chairperson of the House Committee on Human Rights and a co-chair of the House’s QuadComm, related what he described as the expected route of the complaint in the chamber, beginning with the referral process that will set the pace for deliberations and, ultimately, the floor vote that will determine whether the Senate will convene as an impeachment court.

“The Committee on Rules will give it to the Committee on Justice. The Committee on Justice will deliberate on it, maybe for two or three days. And after that, it will be put to a vote in the plenary — what is only needed is one-third,” Abante said.

Atty. Nathaniel Cabrera filed the fourth verified impeachment complaint against Duterte, which Abante and Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V endorsed.

Abante said the math is straightforward and within reach, pointing to previous support levels and the constitutional threshold for approval, stressing that the House does not need an overwhelming number to move the case forward.