THE INTERNET IS AFIRE over the first impeachment case filed versus a sitting president with social media users, obviously from the ranks of Vice President Sara Duterte wishing and praying that the case would foster although they also doubt its outcome from a solid majority of pork-pampered supporters of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at the lower house.
Those who expressed their sentiment on Facebook were relieved that finally Marcos’ sins were exposed in public through the filed complaint. But they voiced their nagging uneasiness that the case against Marcos is just a strategy or ploy by those sympathetic to the administration – to grant him one year immunity from impeachment– should it follow the dismissal path of previous impeachment cases versus VP Duterte’s that were suspended based on procedural and substance flaws.
Some even called it “pakana ng administration” as some of the grounds cited for impeachment do not follow those stipulated in the Constitution as grounds for impeachment.
CREDIBILITY MATTERS
The more discerning commenters doubted the credibility of impeachment endorser, a discredited ‘congtractor’– Jett Nisay, a Pusong Pinoy representative, who was among the 215 lawmakers who signed the impeachment versus VP Duterte in February 2025.
The complaint, filed by lawyer Andre de Jesus, alleged that Marcos “compromised national sovereignty and constitutional order” by “surrendering” his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court based in the Hague. The complaint said Marcos’ action was tantamount to violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust.
The Philippines under Duterte withdrew from the Rome Statute in 2019, but the ICC’s jurisdiction covered crimes committed while the country was still a party to the Statute.
Duterte was charged with crimes against humanity over his bloody drug war when he was Davao City’s mayor and later Philippine president.
DUTERTE KIDNAPPED
While the Philippines under Marcos maintained it had no obligation to cooperate with the ICC, Duterte was still successfully brought to The Hague in March 2025 because the international tribunal tapped the Interpol, to which the Philippines is a member, to help arrest Duterte.
Duterte’s supporters have long branded the arrest of Duterte as “kidnapping,” an argument that was echoed in the petition, Rappler reported.
“The arrest and transfer were carried out despite the continued operation of Philippine courts, proving that Respondent deliberately resorted to foreign intervention and completely ignored domestic legal processes,” the complaint read.
MARCOS’ DRUG USE
Another ground cited in the complaint was Marcos’ alleged drug use, a longstanding claim by diehard Duterte supporters.
The former president was among the first to expose Marcos’ drug use in January 2024, more than a year before his eventual arrest. The petition also heavily cited the statement made by Marcos’ sister Senator Imee, last November during a rally of the Iglesia ni Cristo that her brother and the First Family are drug addicts, which the palace had repeatedly denied.
The complaint, however, said that “respondent’s refusal to submit to a drug test conclusively demonstrates his disregard for transparency and accountability. An innocent President would have no reason to refuse testing,” the petition read.
FLOODGATE SCANDAL
The case also pointed to Marcos over the flood control scandal fiasco and budget insertions that he condoned.
Marcos’ failure to veto unprogrammed appropriations in the national budget, which served as a magnet for corruption due to the lack of transparency on how these funds were disbursed, was another ground.
The complaint essentially put weight on assertions made by ex- congressman Elizaldy Co (former chair of the House Appropriations Committee, now hiding from justice) and Co’s alleged former security aide, Orly Guteza, that implicated Marcos and his close allies to the alleged public works kickback scheme.
“Respondent orchestrated the insertion of massive amounts into the General Appropriations Act to create a pool of funds for kickbacks – a scheme publicly exposed and widely discussed, leaving no room for denial,” the complaint said.
ICI JUST A DEECOY
It alleged that Marcos’ creation of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) was meant to shield allies. Incidentally, Nisay is included in the list of legislators that the ICI and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) submitted to the Ombudsman for the filing of plunder and graft cases.
Nisay owns JVN Construction and Trading, a public works contractor that has bagged at least P73 million in contracts in 2021 and 2022, before he was elected to Congress.
Nisay was a member of 11 committees in the 19th Congress, including two of which he was the vice chair, namely agriculture and sports, and youth and sports development.
In his second term, Nisay moved to the minority and is currently serving as deputy minority leader for the 20th Congress. The position gives him ex-officio membership to and voting powers in all committees, Rappler said.
LAWYER COMPLAINANT
Complaint filer, lawyer Andre de Jesus, was described by Politiko as “from defender to complainant” as he was said to also have defended First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos based on a statement of Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice, House Senior Deputy Minority leader.
Erice said the “impeachment complaint filed by Atty. Andre de Jesus can be easily dismissed, as it lacks form and substance.”
“It is strange that de Jesus filed the complaint against BBM when he is the same lawyer who defended FL Lisa Marcos in November 2024 when he filed a disbarment case against Atty. Glen Chong for vilifying the First Lady,” Erice said.
“From defender to complainant,” Erice added.
It was Erice who announced that this February the House would be busy attending to two impeachment complaints versus the two top officials of the land– Marcos and Duterte.align any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything.