Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima said she has again endorsed an impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte, joining members of the clergy and legal groups in backing the filing before the House of Representatives.
De Lima said the endorsement was made together with clergy members led by Fr. Bong Sarabia and Fr. Joel Saballa, as well as lawyers led by Atty. Amando Ligutan.
The group supported a third impeachment complaint, which De Lima said is based on grounds different from those raised in the complaints they previously endorsed and from the complaint approved by more than one-third of the House and transmitted to the Senate last year.
She said the complaint is sufficient in both form and substance and should move forward to the House Committee on Justice for an evidentiary hearing. According to De Lima, impeachment is a constitutional mechanism meant to examine serious allegations against high-ranking officials and determine accountability based on evidence.
De Lima said members of Congress have a moral and constitutional duty to scrutinize allegations involving public funds and official conduct and to evaluate the evidence presented, regardless of political considerations. She also rejected claims that the impeachment effort is purely political, saying accountability processes should not be dismissed through rhetoric.
“Hindi pwedeng sagutin o ilihis ang mabibigat na alegasyong bilang ‘pamumulitika’ lang,” De Lima said.
