By Rep. France Castro
ACT Party-list
We strongly criticize President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s attempt to influence lawmakers against filing impeachment complaints versus Vice President Sara Duterte. This is a clear violation of the separation of powers between co-equal branches of government.
Whatever happened to the separation of powers? Why is Malacañang interfering with legislative affairs? The House of Representatives is supposed to be a co-equal branch of government. President Marcos should not dictate to it.
Any impeachment proceeding stems from legitimate grounds and public clamor for accountability, particularly regarding the controversial confidential funds and other irregularities under VP Sara’s leadership of both the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd).
Sa parte naman ng mga progresibong organisasyon at Makabayan bloc, kami ay nakahanda at naghahanda para sa impeachment dahil iyon ang tinatawag ng sitwasyon at mamamayan. Kailangan managot si VP Duterte sa usapin ng confidential funds at iba pang anomalya sa OVP at DepEd. Usapin ito ng transparency and accountability, hindi ito ipinapakiusap o dinidikta.
The House deputy minority leader maintained that Congress must exercise its constitutional mandate independently, free from executive interference. The President’s message interferes with the process of holding VP Duterte accountable. Let the impeachment process, if warranted, take its constitutional course.