Philippine MP files impeachment complaint against President

A Philippine member of Parliament on Thursday filed an impeachment complaint against President Rodrigo Duterte for his alleged involvement in killings, violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, bribery and other crimes.

Opposition congressman Gary Alejano presented the complaint to the lower house of Parliament and later revealed it to the media, Efe news reported.

Alejano's complaint is the first attempt to start impeachment proceedings against Duterte, who assumed office last June.

However, the motion is unlikely to garner much support as out of the 292 members in Parliament, at least 267 are allies of Duterte, who is also widely popular among the masses.

Alejano, whose party comprises military officers who staged a botched coup d'etat in 2003, said that the President's actions and behaviour are enough grounds for the impeachment process.

Duterte's alleged crimes include the creation of the Davao Death Squad when he was mayor of the region, as well as the more than 7,000 killings as a part of his war on drugs.

The complaint will be referred to the Speaker, who will refer it to a committee to determine whether the complaint has enough weight to be discussed in the house when it meets in May after the current break.

The complaint comes after two people identified themselves as former members of the Davao Death Squad and accused Duterte publicly of organising the murders of criminals and his opponents.

International organisations, too, have criticised what they consider to be violations of human rights in Duterte's aggressive anti-drug campaign.

--IANS

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