Alejano
A former soldier turned lawmaker on Thursday filed an impeachment complaint against President Rodrigo Duterte, the first move to oust the Chief Executive just a few months after his election into office.
Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano filed the impeachment complaint before the Secretary General of the House of Representatives, who would determine if the form and substance of the complaint is sufficient to have the President impeached.
Among the basis of impeachment are culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.
It remains to be seen if the impeachment complaint would survive the Lower House dominated by a supermajority of allies of the administration.
In a press conference, Alejano said Duterte should be impeached for bribing the vigilante squad Davao Death Squad to kill drug pushers and users when he was Davao City mayor and at the height of his administration’s war on drugs.
“Ang pinakamahalaga dito ’yung state policy of killing of drug offenders, ang pagpatay ng kapwa Filipino na di man lang dumadaan sa democratic na prosesong mayroon tayo ngayon,” Alejano said.
Duterte, he said, should also be impeached for graft and corruption for alleged ghost employees when he was Davao City mayor, and a P2.2-billion alleged hidden wealth in his bank transactions which was not declared in his Statement of Assets and Liabilities Net Worth (SALN).
“Sa graft and corruption, nakapaloob dito ang kaniyang bank accounts… Sa kabuuan ay P2.2 billion na hindi man lang niya na-declare sa kaniyang SALN,” Alejano said.
“Layon namin sa reklamong ito na maging behikulo para sa ating mga kapwa Pilipino na magkaroon ng boses ng pagtutol at paglaban sa mga abuso at krimen ni Pangulong Duterte,” Alejano said.
In the impeachment complaint, Alejano alleged that Duterte committed acts of murder when he publicly endorsed the killings of drug suspects at the height of this administration’s anti-narcotics drives “Oplan Tokhang” and “Oplan Double Barrel” which have left over 8,000 dead.
“Contrary to his oath of office and to the Constitution and prevailing laws, Respondent Rodrigo Roa Duterte publicly adopted a policy of promoting, encouraging, as well as aiding and abetting in the extrajudicial killing of persons suspected of being drug-pushers, drug-users and/or committing other crimes,” the complaint read.