Two impeachment complaints against Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr were referred on Monday to the House of Representatives’ committee on justice, formally triggering impeachment proceedings.
They were filed by local lawyer Andre de Jesus, with the endorsement of Representative Jernie “Jett” Nisay, while the second one was from the Makabayan bloc – the Philippine government’s leftist coalition.
The two complaints were transmitted simultaneously, which is why both were forwarded to the House Committee of Justice.
They have also officially triggered a one-year ban, as such proceedings cannot be initiated by the same official within one year, according to the 1987 Philippine Constitution.
Complaints cite Duterte arrest, drugs, corruption
Jesus’ 14-page petition, which was filed on January 19, seeks Marcos’ removal, accusing him of enabling the “kidnapping” and arrest of Former President Rodrigo Duterte on the International Criminal Court’s warrant, and for being an alleged “drug addict”.
The grounds also include Marcos’ failure to allegedly veto the unprogrammed appropriations and unconstitutional budget provisions in the national budget; for benefitting from kickbacks tied to ghost flood-control projects and creating the Independent Commission for Infrastructure to protect corrupt allies.
Meanwhile, the complaint filed by the Makabayan bloc focused more on Marcos institutionalising corruption through the flood-control funds, citing his abuse of “unprogrammed appropriations” in the national budget and benefitting from kickback, similar to Jesus’ complaint.
But the Makabayan bloc also accused Marcos of using the BBM Parametric Formula, a Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) policy, which stands for Baselined-Balanced-Managed.
Makabayan stated that the formula “provided the justification for Presidential and Congressional infrastructure project allocations in the national budget”, which was supposedly the “basis for kickbacks or commitments”, according to a report by The Philippine Daily Inquirer.
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Impeachment odds in a pro-Marcos House
Despite the gravity of the accusations, political analysts and several lawmakers have cast doubt on the likelihood that either impeachment complaint will prosper in the House of Representatives, which is dominated by allies of the president.
Dennis Coronacion, chair of the political science department at the University of Santo Tomas, said to Agence France-Presse that the complaints have a “very slim chance” of moving forward, describing it as largely reliant on “rehashed or recycled allegations” and lacking sufficient evidence.
“[It] has a very slim chance of getting the approval of the House Committee on Justice and [even less] so, in the plenary, because the president still enjoys the support of the members of the House of Representatives,” Coronacion told AFP.
Several lawmakers echoed this view, with Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice saying the petition could “easily be dismissed” for being weak in both form and substance.
He noted that only the allegations involving unprogrammed appropriations and the flood-control corruption issue merited closer scrutiny.
Observers also warned that the weaker Nisay-endorsed complaint could effectively shield Marcos from any new complaints for the next 12 months.
The Makabayan-backed complaint, on the other hand, is likewise expected to face long odds, as the house is still largely full of Marcos allies, with the president’s own son, Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos, leading the chamber’s majority.
The younger Marcos has announced that he would inhibit himself from the impeachment process to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest, according to Rappler.
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