Jamaine Punzalan

Article (news)

Vivienne Gulla

ABS-CBN News

<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F1438978094263924%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=560&amp;t=0" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>MANILA — The Office of the House Secretary General officially received on Monday the second impeachment complaint against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., after progressive group leaders and congressmen from the Makabayan bloc returned to re-submit their complaint.</p><p>Last Thursday, the group attempted to file the complaint, but the Office of House Secretary General Cheloy Garafil refused to receive it citing her absence. Garafil was then abroad to receive an award.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/22/second-impeachment-complaint-vs-marcos-1118">Two more impeachment complaints vs Marcos hit snag</a></div><p>ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio, an endorser of the complaint, said they urged Garafil to transmit their complaint to the Office of the House Speaker within the day. But Tinio said Garafil gave no such commitment and supposedly said that the same-day referral of an impeachment complaint to the Speaker’s office does not “traditionally” happen.</p><p>“Ang malinaw na nakasaad sa rules ay the Secretary General shall immediately refer to the Speaker. Inilabas nga namin itong rules, at sabi natin, ‘Well, SecGen, ni-receive mo na. Ang tungkulin mo na ngayon ay immediate referral to the Speaker.’ Unfortunately, hindi nga siya nagko-commit na ngayon mismo,” Tinio narrated.</p><p>“Ang sinabi niya, ‘According to tradition, wala pong nangyayari na on the same day ay nire-refer sa Speaker ang complaint,’ which, to me, does not make sense. Bakit tila may problema ang mga opisyal ng gobyerno sa pag-intindi ng mga simpleng salita? Dati ‘forthwith’, ngayon naman ‘immediately,’” he added.</p><p>“Ang sina-cite niyang example, ‘yung first complaint daw the day after niya na-transmit sa Speaker. So ang kinomit lang niya ay tulad daw ng naunang complaint, she can commit that she will transmit our complaint to the Speaker tomorrow,” complainant Renato Reyes said. </p><p>Complainants and endorsers of the second complaint expressed concern that if the first impeachment complaint against the President, which they described as “weak”, is referred to the House Committee on Justice on Monday, it would trigger the one-year-ban on new complaints against the President.</p><p>The first complaint was filed before the Office of the House Secretary General Monday last week, and has been in the Speaker’s office since Tuesday. But House Rules give the Speaker a maximum of 10 session days from receipt of an impeachment complaint to include it in the lower chamber’s Order of Business for referral to the House Committee on Justice.</p><p>“Ngayon nung tinanong namin, ‘Paano ‘yan, baka magkaroon na ng referral mamaya? Hindi na kami makasama. Mamadaliin n’yo ‘yung referral to trigger the one year ban.’ Sabi niya labas na sa kanya ‘yun. Hindi niya kayang bigyan kami ng assurance na hindi mangyayari ‘yun mamaya,” Reyes said.</p><p>‘Pag nag-refer sila mamaya, edi halatang-halata na ‘yung script nila. Ibig sabihin, wala talaga silang intensyon na pakinggan ‘yung iba pang reklamo. Ang gusto lang nila i-consider ‘yung naunang reklamo na posibleng tingin nila mahina, at pakawala ng kung sinuman sa Malacanang, para ma-exclude na ‘yung ibang complaints at ma-trigger ‘yung one-year ban,” he added.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/26/sandro-marcos-to-recuse-from-impeachment-proceedings-vs-dad-1118">Sandro Marcos to recuse from impeachment proceedings vs dad</a></div><p>They visited House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III’s office to communicate their appeal to include their complaint in the order of business.</p><p>“Nasa discretion at kapangyarihan ng Speaker na sabay na ilagay sa order of business at sabay na aksyunan ng plenaryo ang dalawang impeachment complaint. Wala talagang dahilan para madaliin at unahin ‘yung naunang complaint at ipwera ‘yung iba pa,” Tinio said.</p><p>“May 10 session days ang Speaker para mainclude ang lahat ng verified imepachment complaints sa order of business… ‘Yan dapat ang panahon para kung mayroon mang iba pang magfa-file ng impeachment complaint ay sabay-sabay na matatalakay ito,” Gabriela party-list Rep. Sarah Elago added.</p><p>Asked why the group did not file the complaint earlier, complainant Liza Maza said, “Tingin namin ay tama lang ‘yung timing namin. Marami pang ebidensyang lumabas mula doon sa Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearings na isinama namin doon sa impeachment complaint namin.” </p><p>“Ang impeachment, hindi ito usapin ng unahan… Kasi ‘yung accountability, dapat ‘yan binibigyan ng puwang ang lahat ng nagnanais at may risonableng panahon,” Reyes added.</p><p>Meanwhile, Senate President Vicente Sotto III is preparing for the Senate to sit as an impeachment court should any complaint prosper at the House of Representatives.</p><p>However, they have yet to discuss any time table.</p><p>&quot;At this point, pagdating sa issue ng impeachment, we are merely gentlemen and ladies-in-waiting,&quot; said Sotto, who added that he is &quot;personally&quot; preparing should there be a trial. </p><p>&quot;Just in case, I&#x27;m making sure that I can merge together the rules of impeachment, the rules of court, and parliamentary rules,&quot; he said.</p><p>Monday&#x27;s filing accused Marcos of betraying the public trust by packing the national budget with projects aimed at redirecting funds to allies.</p><p>Rage over so-called ghost infrastructure projects has been building for months after entire towns were buried in floodwaters driven by powerful typhoons in the past year.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/24/if-zaldy-co-wants-to-testify-in-marcos-impeachment-complaint-he-must-do-it-in-ph-rep-luistro-1327">If Zaldy Co wants to testify in Marcos impeachment complaint, he must do it in PH — Rep. Luistro</a></div><p>The complaint also accuses the President of directly soliciting kickbacks, a charge that relies heavily on unproven allegations made by former congressman Zaldy Co, who fled the country while under investigation for the flood control mess. </p><p>Marcos has consistently noted that he was the one who put the issue of ghost projects center stage and took credit for pushing investigations that have seen scores of construction firm owners, government officials and lawmakers implicated.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/20/first-impeachment-case-vs-marcos-dead-on-arrival-in-house-says-lawmaker-1124">First impeachment complaint vs Marcos &#x27;unlikely to move forward&#x27; in House, says lawmaker</a></div><p>Under the Philippine Constitution, passage of articles of impeachment in the House of Representatives triggers a Senate trial, where a guilty verdict would mean removal from office and disqualification from future public posts.</p><div><strong> — With a report from Agence France-Presse; RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED  VIDEOS:</strong></div><div><iframe width="827" height="465" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1mbsKqSqRPs" title="Defensor: House sec gen&#x27;s &#x27;refusal&#x27; of Marcos impeachment complaint a clear violation | ABS-CBN News" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><iframe width="726" height="408" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rs2TrGSVgWY" title="Law expert questions House SecGen&#x27;s absence amid impeachment complaint vs Marcos | ANC" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>Progressive group members and Makabayan congressmen returned to the Office of the House Secretary General to refile the second impeachment complaint against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday.</p>

Progressive group members and Makabayan congressmen returned to the Office of the House Secretary General to refile the second impeachment complaint against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday.

Makabayan refiles Marcos impeachment complaint

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Makabayan refiles Marcos impeachment complaint

Vivienne Gulla,

ABS-CBN News

Published January 26, 2026 10:52 AM PHT

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Updated January 26, 2026 04:30 PM PHT

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Marcos

impeachment

Ferdinand Marcos Jr

makabayan

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