Group to file Marcos ouster raps

A GROUP of complainants seeking to file an impeachment complaint against President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. will return to the House of Representatives on Monday, after they failed to formally submit the petition due to the absence of chamber’s secretary-general.

“We hope that there would be no more excuses on the part of the House in accepting the complaint and further obstructing efforts toward accountability,” opposition group Makabayan bloc said in a media advisory.

Mr. Marcos faced three impeachment bids last week amid mounting frustration over his government’s handling of a multibillion-peso graft scandal tied to infrastructure projects.

About 30 left-wing activists accused Mr. Marcos of betraying public trust over a corruption scandal that had already dented the economy and shaken investor sentiment, alleging a “systematic looting of the Treasury.” Bayan Vice-President Teodoro A. Casiño said last week their impeachment complaint was validly filed despite the absence of House Secretary-General Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil.

A separate group also sought to submit a complaint on Thursday, but the filings could not be formally lodged as Ms. Garafil was in Taipei to receive an award from Taiwan’s foreign ministry. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio