By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga and Paulo Loreto Lim

Following the filing of an impeachment case against President Rodrigo Duterte by Magdalo Party-list Rep. Gary Alejano, some in the House of Representatives, including representatives from Negros Occidental, have already dismissed the chances for the case and expressed their support for the president.
Rep. Alfredo Benitez, despite admitting to not reading the formal complaint yet, said, “We fully support the president.” While Rep. Mercedes Alvarez said, “I don’t think the impeachment will prosper.”
Southern Leyte Lone District Rep. Roger Mercado, who was in Bacolod City yesterday for the public consultation on constitutional reform at the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC), noted a majority of congressmen are supportive of the Duterte administration, which will hamper any chance of the complaint being approved by Congress.
“I would like to urge people not to give consideration to these complaints because they are all politically motivated,” he said. “A thing that would just obstruct the focus of our administration.”
A similar sentiment was expressed by Bacolod Lone District Rep. Greg Gasataya, who said, “We should remain focused on our respective jobs in Congress.”
Mercado also cited a text message he received from Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas, calling the entire thing hearsay.
Meanwhile, in a radio interview yesterday morning, Oriental Mindoro Representative Reynaldo Umali also expressed doubts about the impeachment complaint.
He said the Secretary-General of Congress has to look into the complaint before it is endorsed to House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, adding the process will be long.
Last Thursday, Alejano filed a 16-page complaint against Duterte, on the grounds of culpable violation of the constitution, engaging in bribery, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and “other high crimes.”
Alejano explained the president may have violated the 1987 Constitution for refusing to take China to task for its recent incursions in Benham Rise, an underwater landmass located off the coast of Quezon and Aurora provinces, and declared by the United Nations to be part of the Philippine continental shelf in 2012.
Besides the issue on the Benham Rise, Alejano also accused Duterte of committing “illegal acts” as mayor of Davao City through his alleged involvement in the killing of more than 1,400 people, as the supposed leader of the Davao Death Squad.
Alejano, a native of Sipalay City, Negros Occidental, and former captain of the Philippine Marine Corps, was one of the military officers involved in the Oakwood Mutiny in 2003, along with Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and Bureau of Customs chief Nicanor Faeldon./WDJ