PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday welcomed the dismissal of the impeachment complaints against him, describing them as mere “distractions” and a “political move.” Speaking to reporters, Marcos said the impeachment complaints did not prosper because “there were no real grounds.”
“Although I wasn’t very worried because I saw the impeachment complaint and I knew that I will be all right in terms of the impeachment because there’s nothing, there were no real grounds for the impeachment. It was a political move, as usual,” Marcos said.
He said he could now focus on fulfilling his duties without being distracted by the impeachment cases.
The House of Representatives “is doing their job. Of course, I’m glad that impeachment complaints against me have been finished,” Marcos said.
The House Committee on Justice declared insufficient in substance the complaints separately filed by lawyer Andre de Jesus, and by a group of activists and private individuals led by former lawmaker Liza Maza.
In the first complaint, only one congressman — Pusong Pinoy Party-list Rep. Jernie Jett Nisay — voted to declare it sufficient in substance, while 42 voted against the motion.
Three members of the Makabayan bloc abstained.
The first complaint accused Marcos of betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution, among other charges.
In the second complaint, only seven lawmakers voted to declare it sufficient in substance, while 39 voted against it, with no abstentions.
The complaint alleged that Marcos committed betrayal of public trust over the adoption of the Baselined-Balanced-Managed Parametric Formula in allocating infrastructure projects.
Marcos distanced himself from the filing of new impeachment complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte, saying he would let the House act on the matter.
Duterte is facing two impeachment complaints filed separately by members of the Makabayan Coalition and endorsed by the Makabayan bloc in the House, and by Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima and Akbayan Party-list Rep. Percival Cendaña.
