Duterte allies to file impeachment complaint vs Marcos
Former Duterte Youth party-list Rep .Marie Cardeman and ex-National Youth Commission chair Ronald Cardema posed with the front page of a `verified impeachment complaint’ against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., which they posted on the Facebook page of the Duterte party list group on Thursday, May 8, 2025. Photo from the Facebook page of Duterte Youth partylist)
TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte — Two personalities of the Duterte Youth party-list group have posted on social media a copy of their impeachment complaint against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., for allowing the transfer of ex-president Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
On the Duterte Youth’s Facebook page on Thursday, former Duterte Youth party-list Rep.Marie Cardema and ex-National Youth Commission chairperson Ronald Cardema were shown to be each holding a copy of the front page of a “verified impeachment complaint” against Marcos.
The Cardema couple is known to be allies of Duterte, with Ronald failing to get the nomination of the Duterte party list in 2019 due to being overaged, but it was his wife, Marie, who replaced him.
The complaint of the Cardemas was supposed to be 24 pages long, as indicated on its front page.
However, it is unclear if the complaint has reached the office of House Secretary General Reginald Velasco, as the session is currently adjourned. Congress is on a break because of the mid-term polls and is due to return on June 2.
As of now, the complaint, as shown in the group page, also does not bear a received stamp from Velasco’s office.
“Duterte Youth party-list files first impeachment complaint against President Marcos Jr. At the Moment, as endorsed by Duterte Youth Party-List, Ronald Cardema and Marie Cardema of Calamba City, are filing the first Impeachment Complaint against President Bongbong Marcos for allowing the transfer of a Filipino Citizen, former President Rodrigo Duterte, to foreigners,” the pro-Duterte group said in it FB page.
Under the House rules and the 1987 Constitution, an impeachment complaint will only be considered verified if endorsed by a sitting lawmaker. The same requirement was asked of the complaints filed against Duterte’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, last December 2024.
In the case of the vice president, who is the daughter of Duterte, the first complaint from civil society groups was endorsed by Akbayan party-list Rep. Percival Cendaña; the second one by the Makabayan bloc; and the third by Camarines Sur 3rd District Rep. Gabriel Bordado Jr. and Aambis-Owa party-list Rep. Lex Anthony Colada.
READ: Some solons looking for endorsers to expedite VP Duterte’s impeachment
Previously, Velasco said that they will have to see if any complaint filed against a impeachable officer will be endorsed by a House member, and if it is a legitimate complaint.
“My office will study if it is a true complaint, in form and in substance. With us, it is an initial assessment. I would then forward that to the Speaker, then the Speaker is supposed to forward it to the committee on rules. And then the committee on rules will refer it to the plenary ‘no, for formal referral with the justice committee,” Velasco said last December 2.
According to Velasco, he and House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez have 10 session days to act on the impeachment complaint, before it is forwarded to the House committee on rules, which will then refer it to the committee on justice during a plenary session.
Velasco’s statements were based on Article XI of the 1987 Constitution, which discusses public officials’ accountability.
Section 2 of the Article XI provides that the only mode of removing a sitting President, Vice President, Supreme Court justices, members of Constitutional Commissions, and the Ombudsman is through impeachment.
The same section provides the following rounds for impeachment: culpable violation of the Constitution
treason, bribery, graft and corruption, other high crimes and betrayal of public trust.
The House meanwhile has “exclusive power to initiate” an impeachment case. A one-thirds vote of all House members is needed to either affirm an impeachment complaint, or override a resolution.
Section 3 also states that a verified complaint can proceed to a Senate trial immediately if it is filed “by at least one-third of all the Members of the House.”
The older Duterte was detained by authorities after he arrived back at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 last March 11, to help the International Criminal Police Organization in enforcing an arrest order from the ICC.
The ICC arrest order was issued due to the crimes against humanity case filed against Duterte, for his alleged role in the bloody drug war that left thousands of drug suspects dead.
Duterte was flown to The Hague in the Netherlands and is currently awaiting for his
READ: ICC set key dates ahead of Duterte’s September hearing
Duterte was flown to The Hague in the Netherlands and is currently awaiting for his trial in September.
On March 14, he appeared via video conferencing before ICC Pre-Trial Chamber and the confirmation of his charges is set for September 23, 2025.
