MANILA, Philippines —  It was nothing but a Christmas fellowship gathering where no gifts or favors of any kind were exchanged, leaders of the House of Representatives said yesterday, belying speculations that they had discussed over dinner with President Marcos the impeachment moves against Vice President Sara Duterte. But for the 200 or so lawmaker-members of the so-called super majority, the occasion was an opportunity for them to present a manifesto of support for President Marcos, who in turn thanked them for their support.

“It was all about our manifesto of support for PBBM,” a House official and party stalwart told The STAR, referring to the President by his initials.

“Speaker Martin (Romualdez) spoke. And then PBBM spoke to thank the House for the expression of support. No mention of impeachment. No mention of her (Sara) name,” the official said.

Why the manifesto of support had to be given was unclear.

House Deputy Majority Leader and La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega V said the event had been planned long ago and that it was aimed at fostering camaraderie among lawmakers and the President.

“There is no truth to some speculations or thinking of some people. It was just a simple get-together dinner (with the) highlight the presentation of the resolution supporting the President,” Ortega said.

He said they arrived at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Palace and were joined by the President at around 6:30 p.m.

The dinner started with the opening remarks of Romualdez, after which the congressmen presented to the President their manifesto of support.

“I asked him, in Ilocano, how he’s doing. He said he is OK. Of course we knew that he has a lot of work and it is almost late at night, he is tired, having started working in the morning. He was in a very light mood, which is normal when there is affirmation of support for you. It was shown during his thank you speech,” Ortega said at a briefing.

“The President said, he is no longer watching Netflix. (But) he was able to watch what we are doing. It was the only thing he told us, no politics, nothing specific,” Ortega said.

He said that after the speeches of the Speaker and the President, they had dinner which lasted for 30 to 40 minutes.

“It was normal that the people will think of some things about the meeting given the fact that it was timed on the day that the impeachment was filed. But it has been almost two years that we have been trying to have a small get-together with the President. Not just on Christmas,” Ortega said.

The La Union lawmaker said that prior to last Wednesday’s dinner, the last time they had a get-together with the President was during his first year in office.

“During the first year, we had a small gathering. But on the following year, we did not because of the busy schedule of the President. At least, we were able to get it done now. We did not talk about politics,” he pointed out.

The conversation was more on the President’s reminder about the job being done by the legislative and executive. “He said ‘let’s just work.’ Basically, it focused on the statement and speech that were given,” Ortega said, referring to the congressmen’s manifesto of support for the President.

Another ranking lawmaker who declined to be named made the same declaration. “It was just a Christmas message, then the presentation of the resolution of support to the President. Then, anyone was free to sing if they want to sing,” she related. “No gifts in kind or whatever was given.”

A panel chairman said he “left early” but emphasized they received “no instruction regarding impeachment.”

“Even the Davao Group was invited there. In fact, all House members were invited,” another veteran lawmaker said.

“The way I see it, the President deliberately didn’t mention it precisely because he already made a stand on the (impeachment) issue,” he said. “Actually, I was waiting for PBBM to make any remark with regard to the impeachment, but there was none.”

A House official who is very close to Marcos confirmed “no mention of impeachment.”

A senior administration lawmaker said that during the dinner, “PBBM was especially relaxed and happy.”

“I think he really appreciated the solidarity of the House behind his leadership,” he said.

In their manifesto, the lawmakers also condemned alleged destabilization moves, emphasizing that they would “stand united” with the President and “uphold and defend” the Constitution “at all cost.”

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“That is our job and therefore, there should be no let up to show what really happened insofar as the confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) when she was still the secretary,” Acop said.

“We, the Members of the House of Representatives, solemnly affirm that our collective strength lies in the unity of purpose, fidelity to our democratic principles, and unwavering commitment to serve the Filipino people,” they added.

“Together, let us rally behind our President to protect and preserve the gains of democracy as we build a stronger, more united and more prosperous Republic.”

Even as the Duterte impeachment issue was not on the table during the President’s dinner with lawmakers, Senate President Francis Escudero made it clear yesterday that the chamber can still convene as an impeachment court during the legislative break.

“It is part of our job to tackle an impeachment complaint if it is lodged before us,” Escudero said at the Kapihan sa Senado forum yesterday.

Congress will adjourn for Christmas on Dec. 21 until Jan. 12, 2025. It will resume session on Jan. 13 and adjourn again from Feb. 8 to June 1. Escudero said according to the rules, an impeachment trial can still proceed during the break.

“The impeachment proceeding is a unique process, because it is not covered by the Senate’s ordinary session with its counterpart in the House,” he said.

But he maintains that he is “unsure” if the Senate would still have time to hold an impeachment trial next year, as some senators need to campaign for their reelection bid in next year’s midterm elections on May 12.

Former Senate president Juan Miguel Zubiri, for his part, expressed belief that many of his colleagues were not in favor of impeachment against the Vice President or any government official at this time.

“It (impeachment) is going to be divisive. In my heart, is this what we want, so close to the elections? I hope there will be no trouble. We don’t want trouble. Let’s have ceasefire first at this point,” Zubiri told reporters Wednesday night.

“We cannot take political sides. If there is a valid and verified impeachment complaint, we have to be impartial and not take sides. I don’t want trouble,” he pointed out.

The former Senate president said with the elections just five months away, there is no certainty that the Senate can still schedule an impeachment trial.

“We are going to have an election year. Election season starts in February, (Congress) break starts on the second week of February, a campaign season for senatorial candidates so I’m not sure about the timing of this issue,” he noted.

Earlier, Escudero urged his colleagues not to discuss the impeachment issue, as they are likely to stand as judges in an impeachment court.

As this developed, the Makabayan bloc launched yesterday a campaign to gather the required signatures of at least one-third of the  more than 300 House members to set into motion the impeachment of Duterte.

Party-list Reps. France Castro (ACT Teachers), Arlene Brosas (Gabriela Women’s Party) and Raoul Manuel (Kabataan party-list) started the signature campaign a day after the Office of the House Secretary General accepted the second impeachment complaint filed by 72 individuals from various sectors under Bayan and the Makabayan bloc.

In their impeachment complaint against Duterte, the Makabayan representatives cited her alleged misuse of P612.5 million confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, which she headed.

“This is not a simple violation. The use of public funds in this manner is a systematic plunder of government coffers. This kind of anomaly should not be allowed to pass,” Castro said.

“This is not just about numbers. It is about the integrity of public service and the trust of the people. Sara Duterte must be held accountable for betraying the public’s trust,” Manuel said.

“Instead of appearing and explaining, VP Duterte chose to evade the investigation and hearings. This is a clear violation of principles of public accountability and transparency,” Brosas said.

The Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), meanwhile, bared plans to hold a rally to show their support for President Marcos, who earlier expressed disapproval of having Duterte impeached.

Host Gen Subardiaga said in a program aired over NET25, a television network of the INC, that they have already started making preparations for the rally. No date was set yet.

The United Christian and Muslim Alliance also expressed its support for Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos.

In a statementw500, the religious leaders said they continue to pray for wisdom, strength and good health for the First Couple to enable them to fulfill their responsibilities to the Filipino people. - Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Evelyn Macairan

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