Toying with impeachment

IMPEACHMENT is shaping up to be the most popular word in our political lexicon this year. Less than a year since their election, both President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Leonor Robredo are facing impeachment complaints.

In the impeachment complaint he filed last March 16, Rep. Gary Alejano accused President Duterte of violating the Constitution (and committing crimes against humanity) by “inducing policemen, other law enforcement officers and/ or members of vigilante groups” to kill “more than 8,000 persons” in his war against drugs. Alejano anchored his other allegations on the unverified testimonies of self-confessed Davao Death Squad operatives Edgar Matobato and retired SPO3 Arturo Lascañas, as well as unconfirmed claims that Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV previously made on Duterte’s supposed secret bank accounts and unexplained wealth.

Four days later, lawyer Oliver Lozano filed a sixpage impeachment complaint at the House of Representatives against Vice President Robredo. The Interaksyon website reported on Monday that Lozano and Melchor Chavez cited a message that Robredo had recorded for a United Nations event, which, incidentally, was made public also last Thursd ay.

In that message, the vice president asked for “greater transparency” in the war on drugs and repeated a call to respect the rule of law. Arguably her strongest message was this: “We ask him (President Duterte) to uphold basic rights enshrined in our Constitution, instead of encouraging its abuse.” To Lozano, a serial filer of impeachment complaints, the vice president’s message constituted betrayal of the public trust.

Impeachments can be so divisive and vicious that they ought not to be taken lightly. One would expect those who file these complaints to be in touch with reality and sensitive to what Filipinos actually need.

Let’s not fool ourselves. Alejano will not muster the 97 votes needed to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate. If Duterte’s allies in the Lower House will toe the party line the way they’ve done so far, one can even argue that the impeachment complaint against Robredo has a stronger chance of moving forward.

But is there basis for either complaint at this time? Is there a need? For all the noise both pro-Duterte and pro-Robredo camps have spun on social media, it’s probably closer to the truth to expect that most Filipinos are tired of all this bickering and want nothing more than for political leaders to do their jobs, instead of getting mired in the unnecessary theatrics of an impeachment case.— Sunnex