A POLITICAL GROUP on Wednesday urged the Philippine House of Representatives to hasten deliberations on Vice-President Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio’s ouster raps so the Senate could hold its trial by February.
“We want this (impeachment complaint) to reach the Senate by February 7 so they can start the trial,” Teodoro A. Casiño, chairman of political group Bayan Muna, said in a media briefing in Filipino.
His group would hold rallies to show support for the three ouster complaints against Ms. Duterte, aiming to motivate the Philippine Congress to expedite its hearings and trial on the impeachment cases. They are hoping to unseat Ms. Duterte from public office before year-end.
The embattled vice-president has been the subject of impeachment moves due to her alleged misuse of P612.5 million worth of confidential and intelligence funds in 2022 and 2023, which she has refuted.
The Office of the Vice President did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment.
Any Filipino can file impeachment complaints at the House of Representatives, but it requires at least a third of the chamber to approve it for it to be heard by the Senate, which decides on them.
Moves to impeach Ms. Duterte comes ahead of the Philippines’ upcoming midterm elections.
Mr. Casiño said they are not worried about the impeachment coinciding with the midterm election as it would be the opportune time to unseat Ms. Duterte. “This is, in fact, the perfect timing.”
“Our objective is for it (impeachment complaint) to take a ‘front seat’ during the election,” he said. “The impeachment will be a key issue… and we will have to shift the campaign to ensure the victory of pro-impeachment senators.”
Meanwhile, a Social Weather Station (SWS) survey found that four in 10 Filipinos are supportive of efforts to remove Ms. Duterte from office.
In a statement, the pollster said 41% of Filipinos back the ouster moves against the vice-president, with the highest level of support in Luzon at 50%. In the capital region, 45% of Filipinos are in favor of it.
The survey also revealed that 35% of Filipinos are against removing Ms. Duterte, while 19% are undecided.
“The call for Duterte’s impeachment resonates most strongly in Balance Luzon, where 50% of Filipinos advocate for her removal,” the pollster said.
“This [is a] stark contrast to Mindanao, Ms. Duterte’s traditional bailiwick, where 56% oppose the impeachment, underscores the growing cracks in her support base,” it added.
The SWS interviewed 2,160 respondents from December 12 to 18 for the poll, which had an error margin of ±2.
“The Visayas region stands out as the most undecided regarding Ms. Duterte’s impeachment,” it said, as 24% of Visayans stood undecided while 18% of those living in Luzon and Mindanao are also unsure.
The poll results also showed that 41% of Filipinos living in urban and rural communities are supportive of impeachment efforts, with 37% of urban residents and 33% of rural residents opposing it.
“Among socio-economic classes, support for impeachment is strongest in Classes ABC, where 50% agree with the impeachment complaint,” the pollster said. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio
