House Justice Committee to review Marcos ouster complaints next week

By Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio, Reporter

THE House Justice Committee will begin evaluating impeachment complaints against President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. next week, its chairwoman said on Tuesday, initiating the formal process to determine whether efforts to remove the chief executive over corruption allegations have merit.

Batangas Rep. Gerville R. Luistro, who heads the 39-member body, said the committee would consolidate the two complaints filed against Mr. Marcos and examine whether they meet both “form and substance” requirements under House rules.

The process will determine if the allegations are sufficient to justify elevating the case to the House floor for a plenary vote.

“When the responsive pleadings are complete, all evidence submitted, and we have determined that the complaint is sufficient in form and substance, then we shall proceed to assess whether there is a sufficient basis to support it,” Ms. Luistro told reporters.

The complaints accuse Mr. Marcos of graft, constitutional violations and betrayal of public trust — three of the five grounds for impeachment under the 1987 Constitution, alongside bribery and other high crimes.

Allegations focus on his alleged role in diverting multibillion-peso flood control funds to congressional districts, a system critics say fosters corruption among politicians, officials and private contractors.

“The fact that they were enumerated only means that the impeachment complaint should be focused and confined to these respective grounds,” Ms. Luistro said.

“We will see in the deliberation on sufficiency in substance if the statement of facts, the allegations contained in the impeachment complaint are sufficient to substantiate a ground for impeachment,” she added.

She said allegations must be based on personal knowledge of witnesses or authentic records cited by the complainants.

Both complaints also point to Mr. Marcos allegedly receiving kickbacks from contractors involved in flood mitigation projects, claims that have sparked public outrage over governance and transparency.

The committee has 60 session days to complete hearings and must forward its findings to the plenary for a vote to send the case to the Senate, which will act as the impeachment court.

Senators would then sit as jurors, with the authority to remove the President and bar him from holding public office again.

Ms. Luistro said the panel is expected to act with “utmost independence and impartiality,” even as House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” G. Dy III has rejected the complaints. “Regardless of the Speaker’s pronouncement, committee members are expected to evaluate, assess, and hear the impeachment complaint with utmost independence and impartiality,” she said.

The Justice committee is also preparing for the possibility of handling simultaneous impeachment complaints against Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio. Former lawmaker Liza L. Maza has said a fresh complaint against Ms. Duterte could be finalized next week, potentially reigniting efforts to remove the Vice-President after last year’s contentious proceedings.

“I am confident that we can hear both impeachment complaints using proper strategies,” Ms. Luistro said. “This is a constitutional mandate that we really have to face. It does not depend on our desire, availability, or preference.”

Observers note that political divisions in Congress could influence the process. Marcos allies dominate the House, potentially complicating efforts by opposition lawmakers to move the complaints forward.

Arjan P. Aguirre, a political science professor at the Ateneo de Manila University, earlier said the committee might maintain an appearance of impartiality while privately leaning toward dismissing the complaints.

“They need to at least appear as though they are acting in good faith and doing the right thing,” Mr. Aguirre earlier told BusinessWorld. “We should not expect them to campaign or actively mobilize votes in its favor.”

Next week’s hearings will mark the first formal review of Mr. Marcos’ impeachment complaints, setting the stage for what could be a politically charged assessment of his handling of one of the biggest corruption scandals in recent Philippine history.