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HINDI nakalusot sa House Committee on Justice ang impeachment complaint na inihain ng tinaguriang Makabayan bloc laban kay Vice President Sara Duterte.
Ang dahilan — labag sa probisyon na nagtatakda ng “one-year ban,” alinsunod sa 1987 Constitution.
Sa botong 22 ang pabor at 10 ang tutol, kinatigan ng komite na pinamumunuan ni Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro, ang mosyon para isantabi ang reklamong inihain ni former ACT Teachers partylist Rep. France Castro, kasama ang iba pang opisyal ng civil society groups noong Pebrero 2, 2026.
Una nang iginiit ni Bukidnon Rep. Keith Flores na sa desisyon pinalabas ng Korte Suprema noong Hulyo ng nakalipas na taon, tinukoy nito ang Pebrero 6, 2026 bilang siyang petsa na maaaring sampahan ng impeachment complaint ang bise-presidente matapos maipagharap si Duterte ng kahalintulad na sumbong lampas na sa tinatawag na one-year ban rule, alinsunod sa Article XI, Section 3(5) ng 1987 Constitution.
“With 22 votes in the affirmative and 10 votes in the negative, with zero abstention, the Chair sets aside the first impeachment complaint, the Castro et al impeachment complaint, on the ground of violation of one-year prohibition period. So ruled,” wika ni Luistro.
Sa pagsisimula ng komite sa deliberasyon ng mga verified complaints laban kay Duterte, ipinunto ni Manila Rep. Joel Chua, chairman ng House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability na dapat munang resolbahin ang usapin ng petsa kung kailan isinumite ang first impeachment charge.
“Otherwise, this will all be inutile, useless, if eventually this will again be used in the court to question the legality and constitutionality of this first impeachment complaint,” ani Chua.
Ayon naman kay Quezon City Rep. Jesus “Bong” Suntay, sa SC ruling ay ginamit ang salitang “commenced,” at hindi ang “initiated” kaya walang impeachment proceedings ang maaaring simulan bago ang Pebrero 6, 2026.
Kinatigan naman ito ni Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Lordan Suan at sinabing “the Supreme Court did not speak casually. If a complaint was filed on February 2, 2026, four days prior to February 6, 2026, then we must confront a fundamental question. Are we within the constitutional window?”
Sa pagkontra dito, iginiit Bicol Saro Partylist Rep. Terry Ridon na ang impeachment ay masasabing nasimulan o “initiated” na matapos itong maipasa sa House Committee on Justice at hindi sa petsa kung kailan inihain.
“As such, the first impeachment complaint against the Vice President should not technically be precluded by the one-year bar as it was filed only prior to 6 February 2026 and not initiated prior thereto,” pahabol ni Ridon. (ROMER R. BUTUYAN)
