MANILA, Feb 10 (Reuters) – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. avoided impeachment on Tuesday, a largely expected outcome after allies in the lower house of Congress voted overwhelmingly to dismiss the complaints against him.
The vote came a week after the House of Representatives’ justice committee dismissed two impeachment complaints against Marcos, saying they lacked substance. Marcos was accused of betraying the public’s trust, committing graft and corruption, and violating the constitution.
“The impeachment complaints filed against the president, Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ R. Marcos Jr. are hereby dismissed,” House Deputy Speaker Janette Garin told House members.
Following the dismissal, impeachment efforts now shift toward Vice President Sara Duterte, who is facing another round of complaints after surviving a similar bid last year.
Impeaching Marcos needed a one-third vote from more than 300 members in the lower house, where 284 members voted to dismiss the complaints. Only eight lawmakers voted for impeachment while four abstained. A constitutional rule prohibits subsequent impeachment complaints against Marcos until next year.
Among the seven Philippine presidents since democracy was restored in 1986, only Joseph Estrada has been impeached, but his 2001 trial was aborted when prosecutors walked out in protest after senator-judges voted against opening an envelope that contained evidence against the then leader.
The complaints against Marcos included his decision to allow his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte to be arrested and taken to The Hague to face trial at the International Criminal Court over thousands of killings during his notorious “war on drugs”.
Marcos, 68, was also accused of abusing his authority in spending public funds that led to a corruption scandal involving flood-control projects. His alleged drug use, which he has denied, also made him unfit to run the country, according to one of the complaints.
Five top officials have been impeached in the Philippines and only one of those, a former chief justice, was convicted and removed from office.
(Reporting by Mikhail Flores; Editing by David Stanway)
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