Gary Alejano, Magdalo party-list Representative filed the very first impeachment complaint before the House of Representatives’ Office of the Secretary-General against the President today. Senator Antonio Trilanes IV is just about to conduct a probe over the alleged Benham Rise confusion and yet, Magdalo already has the complaints ready and submitted today. Is there really no destabilization or ouster plots against the president?
Youtube video by; INQUIRER.net
[VIDEO]: 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 sufficient to have the President impeached.
Impeachment Grounds
Alejano said that the President must be impeached on the following grounds:
- Culpable violation of the Constitution
- Engaging in bribery
- Betrayal of public trust
- Graft and corruption
- Other high crimes
Friendly Approach
The President says that he instructed the military to assert Philippine ownership of the large ocean region off the country’s northeastern coast where China’s survey ships were spotted last year. However, PDu30 said that he orders the military to claim the Benham Rise area in a friendly way. He repeats that his country has to be diplomatic because it “cannot match the might of China,” He also mentions vaguely that they have previous agreements that irked his detractors. They argued that the president cannot just give permission to China alone to research the mineral-riched area. The alleged oversight if true is impeachable, experts said.
China Respects PI’s Sovereign Rights
China is honors the Philippines’ sovereign rights over Benham Rise. Its Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates that China fully respects the Philippines’ rights over the continental shelf in the Benham Rise. There is no such thing that China challenges those rights,” spokesperson Hua Chunying disclosed. China explains that they were only exercising “innocent passage” in the area. However, the Secretary of Defense Delfin Lorenzana doubts this as the ships often lingered for few days in one area to another for around three months in the region.
Email: elenagraceflores@gmail.com
The Palace’s Reaction
Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said there are no grounds for Du30’s impeachment. “No treason, betrayal of public trust, bribery, graft and corruption, and high crime was committed.” Under the current administration’s term, the government opted for a friendlier approach with China. The Benham Rise anomaly is on top of the West Philippine Sea or the South China Sea dispute with China.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/03/duterte-china-benham-rise-sea-territory-170313144424024.html
http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2017/03/15/China-respects-PH-rights-Benham-Rise.html
http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2017/03/16/impeachment-complaint-vs-Duterte.html
