Lawmakers accuse Marcos Jr. of obstructing VP Sara impeachment

Lawmakers behind the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte allege that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is obstructing the proceedings, causing delays since the complaints were filed in December 2024.

The Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives condemned the prolonged delay, noting that impeachment complaints have been held up in the Office of the House Secretary General for over a month.

Representatives France Castro, Arlene Brosas, and Raoul Manuel of the Makabayan bloc endorsed an impeachment complaint filed by the progressive group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan).

The Makabayan bloc questioned if President Marcos Jr.'s alleged obstruction is connected to his own confidential funds and the systems that benefit him and his allies.

The lawmakers called on Congress to assert their constitutional mandate and not allow the Executive to dictate the pace and outcome of impeachment proceedings.

House Secretary General Reginald Velasco stated he would wait until January 23 for a possible fourth impeachment complaint before forwarding the existing ones to the Office of House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Despite delays and some lawmakers growing cold on the ouster efforts, the counsel for the third set of complainants asserted that the impeachment complaints are not yet dead.

Atty. Amando Virgil Ligutan observed a softening of stance in President Marcos Jr.'s pronouncements against the impeachment, noting a shift from calling it a 'waste of time' to stating the timing is 'very poor'.