Impeachment proponents given fair day during deliberations, says Palace

The House Committee on Justice chaired by Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr., voting 54-4, junked with finality on Tuesday (Sept. 2, 2014) the three impeachment complaints filed against President Benigno S. Aquino III for insufficiency in substance. (PNA photo by Gil S. Calinga)

MANILA — Groups wanting to oust the President through impeachment were given an opportunity to make their case in Congress but their move did not prosper, the Palace said on Tuesday.

“The Committee on Justice of the House, after a thorough review of the allegations in terms of its substance, has dismissed the complaints against the President,” Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a statement on the dismissal of the impeachment cases against the President.

“We take note that the process took place with transparency, not just according to the rules, but to give the proponents every opportunity to make their case,” she said.

The Justice Committee of the House of Representatives on Tuesday trashed the three impeachment complaints against the President after the cases were found insufficient in substance.

With a vote of 54 against each complaint, the three complaints were dismissed separately by lawmakers. Only four votes favored each of it.

The first two complaints stemmed from President Aquino’s Disbursement Acceleration Program.

The third complaint is over the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with the United States. The agreement seeks for a greater American military presence in the country.