Caloocan City 2nd District Representative Egay Erice voiced concern that the impeachment complaint filed by Atty. Andre De Jesus against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. could hinder stronger cases in the future.
At a press conference, Erice clarified that he never claimed De Jesus was linked to First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos.
“Hindi ko sinabi na may link ang sinabi ko… November 2024, he is the same Atty. De Jesus, who filed a disbarment case against Atty. Glenn Chong, kasi sinabi ni Atty. Glenn Chong na sasampalin niya si First Lady,” he said.
Erice questioned De Jesus’ motives, describing his actions as sudden and unsupported.
“Nag-file siya out of nowhere. Hindi ko sinabi abogado siya, ang sinabi ko siya ang nag-file. Hindi ko alam kung ano yung motibo niya sa pagpa-file… Hindi siya kilala, so out of nowhere, nabasa niya lang, nag-file siya ang disbarment,” he added.
De Jesus filed the first impeachment complaint on January 19, citing news articles as evidence.
“Ngayon, out of nowhere, reading some articles in the newspapers in the social media at yun ang kanyang ebidensya, nag-file siya ng impeachment against the husband of the First Lady,” Erice said.
“Hindi ko makita yung logic dito dahil yung sinampa nya na impeachment complaint ay basura. Fifteen pages na walang ebidensya kundi mga news article. At sa tingin ko ay wala ito sa porma at walang substance yung kanyang ifinile na impeachment complaint,” he added.
Erice stressed that the one-year bar rule will begin once the complaint is referred to the House Committee on Justice, potentially delaying stronger cases.
“Sana hindi mapigilan nitong impeachment complaint na ito yung mga susunod pang impeachment complaints,” he said.
The lawmaker warned that waiting another year to file a substantial complaint could be futile, given Marcos’ term ends in 2028.