MANILA, Philippines — An impeachment complaint is set to be filed against Vice President Leni Robredo before the House of Representatives on Tuesday afternoon, according to reports.

Actress Vivian Velez, a known supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte, said on her Facebook page that the impeachment complaint will be filed against the vice president at 1 p.m.

A report from radio dzBB said that Interior Assistant Secretary Epimaco Densing III said that the grounds for impeachment against Robredo are betrayal of trust, culpable violation of the Constitution and graft and corruption.

The basis for the complaint was Robredo's video message played during a United Nations forum where she revealed the alleged "palit-ulo" scheme of the police.

Meanwhile, the Robredo camp said that there is utterly no basis for the impeachment complaint that is going to be filed against the vice president as her record is "completely spotless."

"This was expected. They announced this about several weeks ago and this is not really something completely unexpected but it is something that we think is, to be perfectly blunt about, it a ridiculous effort on their part," Barry Gutierrez, Robredo's legal adviser, said in a telephone interview with CNN Philippines.

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Gutierrez added that Robredo is not giving importance to the impeachment complaint as she is more focused on her job.

"Honestly, she is not giving this too much thought. She's focused on doing the job she was elected to do. She's focused on pushing the programs that her office has initiated since the star of her term including Angat Buhay and you know this is just political noise," Gutierrez said.

The Robredo camp, however, is ready to take on the complaint if it pushes through on the lower chamber.

"We're prepared to actually take this on. Obviously, there's a constitutional process for this and if this complaint, despite its weakness, will get some kind of endorsement from any kind of Congress then you know there's a process to be followed and we'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Robredo's legal adviser said.

Duterte earlier called on his allies to lay off on the planned impeachment charge against Robredo as she did not commit any overt act that warrants her removal from office.

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, however, is keen on proceeding with the impeachment bid despite Duterte's call, according to Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said.

RELATED: ‘Leni impeach bid to proceed’</s>Rep. Jericho Nograles of the Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) party-list said on Wednesday there was a “miscommunication” between his camp and the group of lawyers seeking his endorsement for their impeachment complaint against Vice President Leni Robredo.

In a statement, Nograles said he has accepted Bruce Rivera’s apology about the aborted impeachment complaint which had Nograles’ name as endorser even though he had not given his consent.

“I accept the apology of Atty. Bruce Rivera who admitted that the brouhaha about the impeachment complaint against Vice President Leni Robredo. (It) was a result of miscommunication,” Nograles said.

Nograles said Rivera’s admission validated his position that he had not been informed about his supposed endorsement of the complaint.

“His admission that this was a case of miscommunication validates my position that I had no prior knowledge about this complaint,” Nograles said.

The group of lawyers led by Rivera, who once served as counsel of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles, went to the office of Nograles with the complaint containing Nograles’ name. But Nograles denied agreeing to be the endorser.

A private complainant may file an impeachment complaint at the House of Representatives, where impeachment proceedings initiate, as long as the complaint is endorsed by a representative.

Reporters waited Tuesday for the expected filing of the impeachment complaint at the House secretary general’s office. Nograles later faced the media and denied he agreed to endorse the complaint.

In a Facebook post, Rivera belied Nograles’ claim that the Robredo impeachment group misrepresented the congressman.

Rivera said it was a clear case of miscommunication.

“We were informed that Congressman Jericho Nograles of the PBA Partylist issued a statement accusing Trixie Cruz-Angeles and myself with misrepresentation for including his name as endorser in the impeachment complaint,” Rivera said.

“This was perhaps a result of a miscommunication,” he added.

Rivera said the group did not intend to misrepresent Nograles and that it included Nograles’ name in the impeachment complaint to make the filing of complaint easier.

“The truth of the matter is, we were told to give a copy of the complaint to him for his perusal,” Rivera said. “Atty. Trixie, in good faith, included his name so if he decides to be one of the endorsers, it will be easier to just affix his signature and if not, his name will be removed in the complaint.”

“There was never any intention to misrepresent,” he added. “In fact, the impeachment complaint submitted to other members of the House did not include his name anymore. In fact, we never mentioned his name in our press conference until some reporter raised his name.”

Rivera extended his apologies for the miscommunication to Nograles.

“Thus, we apologize to Congressman Jericho Nograles for this unfortunate situation,” Rivera said. “We truly understand that the job as legislator is a daunting task and we will never intend to make his already difficult job, more difficult.”

Rivera earlier said the group accused Robredo of the offenses of betrayal of public trust, culpable violations of the Constitution, and graft and corruption.

Rivera said Robredo betrayed the public trust in her video to a United Nations body criticizing the Duterte administration’s brutal war on drugs, and the alleged “palit-ulo” scheme of the police.

Rivera said Robredo’s claims against the administration and the police were “reckless, accusing the vice president also of misdeclaring her assets in her statement of assets and liabilities networth by not disclosing the worth of her shares in Meralco.

Complaints against Robredo gained traction since Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, Duterte’s staunch ally in the House, raised the specter of impeaching Robredo for her message to the UN body.

Alvarez vowed to pursue Robredo’s impeachment even though Duterte himself rejected the move.

This was Robredo’s second impeachment complaint seeking a representative’s endorsement. The first impeachment complaint was endorsed for the Speaker’s support by Marcos loyalists Oliver Lozano and Melchor Chavez.

Duterte also faces two impeachment complaints filed by Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano regarding the president’s alleged role in state-sponsored killings and the Davao Death Squad, as well as his alleged inaction to uphold the country’s sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea, Panatag Shoal and Benham Rise amid the administration’s cooling of ties with China.

Duterte, Alvarez and other key allies also face a complaint for crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court in The Hague. /atm

Duterte, 11 others accused of crimes against humanity before ICC</s>'Tapusin namin kaagad to [do] away with it or to get it moving as the case may be,' says House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas

MANILA, Philippines – Despite the sheer number of administration-allied lawmakers, Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas said the House of Representatives will prioritize the impeachment complaint filed against President Rodrigo Duterte.

Fariñas said he is set to meet with House justice committee chairperson Reynaldo Umali on Tuesday afternoon, May 2, to discuss the timeline for the impeachment proceedings.

"I will meet with [the] chairman later. Nakipag-appointment sa akin dahil we will give this priority also, 'di ba? Eh kung 'yung Dayan investigation noon, ilang oras tayo dito? Umaabot tayo ng 10 oras just to tackle it eh. Ganito rin ito," said Fariñas, who was referring to the hours-long congressional probe into the New Bilibid Prison narcotics trade they conducted late last year.

Among the witnesses during the probe was Ronnie Dayan, alleged bagman and ex-lover of former justice secretary and now detained Senator Leila de Lima.

"Tapusin namin kaagad to [do] away with it or to get it moving as the case may be," added Fariñas.

Magdalo Representative Gary Alejano filed the first impeachment complaint against Duterte last March 16, while the 17th Congress was on a break. (READ: Highlights: Impeachment complaint vs Duterte)

Now that session has resumed, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez has 10 session days to calendar it. The committee on rules will bring the complaint to the plenary, which will endorse it to the committee on justice, tasked to determine whether the complaint is sufficient in form and substance.

"One member can say, 'I move that we find the complaint sufficient in form.' Or mayroon namang mag-move (a member could move) in a negative manner. 'I move that we find the complaint insufficient in form.' Magbobotohan 'yan. Kung ano 'yung mas maraming boto, 'yun ang masusunod (There will be a vote. The motion that will get more votes will be the one followed)," said Fariñas.

The impeachment complaint may also skip the justice panel if at least 1/3 of the House affirms the complaint.

If that happens, the complaint will be forwarded to the Senate for an impeachment trial presided by the Chief Justice. (READ: Duterte impeachment complaint 'a fight for all Filipinos,' says Alejano)

A 2/3 vote of all members of the Senate would convict the President and remove him from office. (READ: FAST FACTS: How does impeachment work?)

Duterte counts at least 267 out of the 293 lawmakers as his allies. (READ: Suarez-led House minority won't back Duterte impeachment)

According to Fariñas, lawmakers will give the same treatment to the looming impeachment complaint against Vice President Leni Robredo.

Alvarez is mulling filing an impeachment complaint against Robredo for alleged betrayal of public trust for her video message on Duterte's war on drugs played on the sidelines of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs meeting in Vienna, Austria.

Marcos loyalists Oliver Lozano and Melchor Chavez drafted an impeachment complaint against Robredo over the same video and asked Alvarez to endorse it.

A group of pro-Duterte lawyers and bloggers calling themselves the "Impeach VP Leni Team" is set to submit their own impeachment complaint against the Vice President on Tuesday. (READ: Duterte on impeachment vs Robredo: 'Stop it')

The 1987 Constitution allows any Filipino citizen to initiate an impeachment complaint, but it must be endorsed by a lawmaker for it to be considered filed at the House of Representatives. (READ: Impeachment complaints vs Duterte, Robredo 'doomed,' says LP leader) – Rappler.com</s>The Impeach Leni Movement claims the Vice President misdeclared her Meralco shares in her SALN and misused government money

MANILA, Philippines – A group of lawyers and bloggers supporting President Rodrigo Duterte is asking lawmakers to endorse their impeachment complaint against Vice President Leni Robredo.

Lawyer Bruce Rivera, spokesperson of the Impeach Leni Movement, said on Tuesday, May 2, that they finished drafting the document the night before.

But they were asked to give a copy of their impeachment complaint to the office of a male lawmaker whom they refused to name. This lawmaker supposedly expressed support for the group when they announced their plans against Robredo last March. (READ: 'Robredo peddling lies,' says Impeach VP Leni Team)

Rivera said they also distributed copies of the complaint to offices of other lawmakers whom their source said they could get an endorsement from.

"Initially, the intention was to file at the secretary-general's office. However, we were instructed that we are to send it to a congressman's office because the congressman involved will be the one to forward it to the secretary-general's office," said Rivera, who was the lawyer and spokesperson for alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles.

He said the lawmaker is currently reviewing the contents of the impeachment complaint.

"Here is the deal. While we were forming it, they already reached out and said that we continue it because that's what they also wanted and that they wanted to endorse," said Rivera.

"It's just that, of course, we just have to, you know, in more ways than one, we have to understand that there are, they have to be a little bit circumspect about it, and you know, tread lightly," he added.

There are rumors that Impeach Leni Movement is referring to Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta Representative Jericho Nograles, but he denied this.

"It's not true. I'm actually shocked that my name is being dragged into this... I have nothing to do with any impeachment complaint," said Nograles in a statement.

The 1987 Constitution allows an impeachment complaint to be filed against the President, Vice President, members of the Supreme Court, members of constitutional commissions, and the Ombudsman. (READ: FAST FACTS: How does impeachment work?)

Any member of the House of Representatives can initiate a verified impeachment complaint. Any Filipino citizen may also file a complaint, but it has to be endorsed by a lawmaker.

Two Marcos loyalists – lawyer Oliver Lozano and broadcaster Melchor Chavez – already asked Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez to endorse an impeachment complaint against Robredo they drafted in March.

The two based the complaint on Robredo's criticism of Duterte's war against drugs in a video played at an event in Vienna, Austria mounted by a non-governmental organization.

Alvarez himself is mulling filing an impeachment complaint against Robredo over the same video. The Speaker also believes Robredo is responsible for the first impeachment complaint filed against Duterte.

Duterte, however, already said he will not allow Robredo's impeachment, telling his allies to "lay off" the Vice President.

The Impeach Leni Movement is accusing Robredo of betraying public trust, culpably violating the Constitution, and graft and corruption.

For one, Rivera said Robredo's criticism of the drug war was not based on accurate information.

"The 7,000 killed in summary executions in the speech itself does not have any source. It's not confirmed. Even if she said it was based on something else, it must be stated. The irresponsibility and recklessness, for me, is unforgivable," said Rivera.

He also claimed that Robredo misdeclared her Meralco shares in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth.

"We looked at her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth and we found that she has Meralco shares that are stated only as business interest without any amount. That is, by itself, a misdeclaration. And that was the reason why [Chief Justice Renato] Corona was impeached," said Rivera.

He added that they have requested a copy of Robredo's records of her latest travels and expenditures, but this request has not yet been entertained by the Office of the Vice President.

"And that in itself is dubious because she is still part of the executive," said Rivera.

The Impeach Leni Movement also said that when Robredo was still housing czar, government money from the Home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-IBIG Fund was used to sponsor a non-housing-related national convention in the United States.

According to Rivera, the convention was attended by Filipino-Americans, most of whom are American citizens.

"And it's not even connected to housing. It's more for empowerment, and she was the one invited there. So imagine a Vice President who is having the funds of people [that] is supposed to be for housing, to help Filipinos get a good house, have a good house to live [in], and uses the same in order for, you know, to sponsor something about empowerment. No relation whatsoever to housing," he said. – Rappler.com</s>No member of the House of Representatives came forward on Tuesday to endorse the impeachment complaint by a group of lawyers against Vice President Leni Robredo in the second attempt to unseat her in two months.

Facing the House media, lawyer Bruce Rivera, one of the complainants, insisted that the complaint was “received” by a congressman but would not identify him or explain why the filing did not take place as announced.

Under the 1987 Constitution, an impeachment complaint may only be filed by a non-House member if it is endorsed by a congressperson.

“Think all you want. You can make it look like that,” Rivera said in reply to persistent questions about whether his group experienced difficulty in finding a House member to endorse their impeachment complaint.

“When we were forming it, [the congressman] already reached out, saying we should go through with it… It’s just that we have to be a little circumspect,” the lawyer said.

He acknowledged that President Duterte had publicly repudiated any attempt to impeach Robredo, and that his group was facing an uphill climb in the House, where Robredo served as Camarines Sur congresswoman before rising to the vice presidency.

Earlier Tuesday, Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas said the “Impeach Leni” group should secure an endorsement from a House member first before their impeachment complaint could be entertained under the rules.

“If those who file later do not get an endorsement, then it’s just a scrap of paper,” he told reporters.

At the briefing, Rivera could not immediately produce copies of the complaint, which he said amounted to about 30 pages, for the media, as the only validated copy was still with the unidentified congressman.

He, however, gave some details on the grounds cited and the purported evidence against Robredo.

Rivera said the impeachment complaint accused the Vice President of betrayal of public trust, culpable violations of the Constitution, and graft and corruption.

He said Robredo, as one of the sovereign leaders of the Philippines, betrayed the republic when she delivered a recorded speech to a United Nations panel meeting strongly criticizing the administration’s war on drugs.

He said the Vice President’s words were “reckless and irresponsible,” noting disavowals by the Philippine National Police and other government agencies about her claims in the recorded message, including an allegation about a “palit-ulo” scheme, literally meaning “exchanging heads” of those on drug watch lists with their friends or family.

Rivera also accused Robredo of misdeclaring her assets in her statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN), when she only put in her shares in Meralco as a “business interest” without giving any amount.

He also ascribed irregularities to Robredo when she still chaired the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, saying Pagibig funded a convention in the United States that was not about housing but about social empowerment.

Robredo is the nominal leader of the Liberal Party. In December she quit President Duterte’s Cabinet as housing secretary over policy and political differences and emerged as a leading opposition figure.

In March, Marcos loyalists Oliver Lozano and Melchor Chavez submitted to the Speaker’s office an impeachment complaint alleging that Robredo betrayed the public trust for her six-minute video to the 60th United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs annual meeting in Vienna.

Asked if his group also provided Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez with a copy of the complaint, Rivera would not confirm or deny, saying only: “We respect Speaker’s position but we don’t want to ruffle his feathers there.”/rga</s>'Our hope in releasing the full footage of our event... is that discussion might return to the real issues at stake,' says David Borden, executive director of DRC Net Foundation

MANILA, Philippines – The full footage of the international forum that featured Vice President Leni Robredo's video message criticizing the drug war was released online on Tuesday, May 2.

The 55-minute video was released on the same day that Robredo's critics asked lawmakers to endorse an impeachment complaint against the Vice President, accusing her of betraying public trust, culpably violating the Constitution, and graft and corruption.

"Our hope in releasing the full footage of our event – which included both critics and defenders of the government – is that discussion might return to the real issues at stake," said David Borden, executive director of the non-governmental organization DRC Net Foundation, which organized the event.

Robredo was accused of trying to destabilize the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte by criticizing the extrajudicial killings linked to its bloody crackdown against drugs.

The video message was played at the NGO's event, which was held on the sidelines of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs meeting in Vienna, Austria, last March.

The Duterte administration partly blames Robredo's video for the European Union's resolution in March that warned the Philippines could lose trade incentives over the human rights situation.

Fact-checking by Rappler, however, showed that the EU resolution did not cite Robredo's video as a basis for its warning.

In a statement, Borden said it was a "strange spectacle" to see public figures ignore Duterte's own repeated calls for mass killings against drug criminals who fight back, while attacking Robredo "for raising legitimate concerns" about it.

"The international community isn't focused on the Philippines' drug war killings because Vice President Robredo recorded a video; it's that President Duterte promised mass killings and appears to have delivered them," he said.

Borden added that House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, who said he was considering filing an impeachment complaint against Robredo over the video message, had "mischaracterized" the forum.

"Speaker Alvarez mischaracterized our event when he claimed without evidence that the Vice President's video was timed to coincide with the impeachment complaint against the President and the European Parliament resolution on Senator [Leila] de Lima. He stopped saying that after I provided documentation to the contrary to Philippine media," Borden said.

"But it's that initial lie which gave the drive to impeach Vice President Robredo the momentum it needed to really start," he added.

Aside from Robredo, the forum also featured presentations by Commission on Human Rights Chairperson Chito Gascon, former Thai prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, and other experts.

Borden also listed some key takeaways from the event. He noted that out of more than 2,500 cases of drug suspects killed in police operations, the justice department has not yet filed criminal charges against police officers – "an implausible outcome if investigations were being done seriously," Borden said.

He added that Duterte's public statements encouraging the killing of criminals who fight back constitute "inducement to commit crimes against humanity, and are sufficient on their own to hold him liable." – Rappler.com</s>The full footage of the United Nations event that featured Vice President Leni Robredo’s controversial video message on extrajudicial killings was released on Tuesday, as the House of Representatives received the second impeachment complaint against her.

David Borden, executive director of the UN-accredited Drug Reform Coordination Network, said he timed the posting of the 55-minute video to coincide with the resumption of session of the 17th Congress, as Robredo faced a second impeachment threat for “betraying the public trust” in criticizing the drug war.

“Our hope in releasing the full footage of our event—which included both critics and defenders of the government—is that discussion might return to the real issues at stake,” Borden said in an e-mailed statement to the Inquirer.

Robredo’s message to a side meeting of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs annual meeting in Vienna on March 16 stirred a political firestorm as it coincided with the filing by Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano of the first impeachment case against President Duterte.

Mr. Duterte’s allies, including Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, were outraged by Robredo’s criticism of the war on drugs at an international assembly. Two Marcos loyalists submitted to Alvarez’s office an impeachment complaint, while a lawyers’ group filed the second one later Tuesday.

“Speaker Alvarez mischaracterized our event when he claimed without evidence that the Vice President’s video was timed to coincide with the impeachment complaint against the President and the European Parliament resolution on Sen. [Leila] de Lima,” Borden said.

“[Alvarez] stopped saying that after I provided documentation to the contrary to Philippine media. But it’s that initial lie which gave the drive to impeach Vice President Robredo the momentum it needed to really start,” he added.

Along with Robredo’s message, the event also featured presentations by Commission on Human Rights Chair Jose Luis Martin Gascon, former Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva (video) and other experts.

A representative of the Philippine government, Sulpicio Confiado, deputy chief of mission and consul general in Austria, was given time to speak as well.

“The footage is released as the Philippine Congress goes back into session today,” Borden said, noting how opponents of the Vice President had “seized on the video to attack her politically, arguing that she should be impeached for submitting it.”

“Under previous administrations, the Department of Justice considered killings by police officers a matter to be evaluated in court. Under Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, the department has instead relied on internal investigations.”

“Out of more than 2,500 acknowledged cases of drug suspects killed in police operations, the Department of Justice has filed criminal charges against officers zero times—an implausible outcome if investigations were being done seriously.”

“President Duterte’s public statements encouraging mass killings constitute ‘inducement’ to commit crimes against humanity and are sufficient on their own to hold him liable.”

“Police have not cooperated with CHR investigation-related requests.”</s>Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan called on the people on Wednesday to act against “bullying” like the impeachment bid lodged against Vice President Leni Robredo.

“We call on the people to maintain vigilance and take action to prevent bullying, like this forced impeachment,” Pangilinan said in a statement.

The senator made the call a day after another impeachment complaint against Robredo was filed at the House of Representatives by a group of lawyers. No House member has so far endorsed the complaint.

Pangilinan is president of the Liberal Party while Robredo is the party chair.

“The impeachment case against Vice President Leni Robredo was pulled out of thin air and completely baseless. Clearly, free speech — in whatever way, inside or outside the country — is non-impeachable. In fact, this is protected by the Constitution,” the senator said.

Robredo has been accused in the complaint of betraying the public trust, among others, when she delivered a recorded speech at a United Nations side meeting criticizing the government’s war on drugs.

But Pangilinan was confident the impeachment bid would not take off in the House.

“We are confident that the truth will prevail and ultimately the impeachment will be dismissed,” he added. IDL</s>No member of the House of Representatives came forward on Tuesday to endorse the impeachment complaint filed by a group of lawyers against Vice President Leni Robredo, in the second attempt to unseat her in two months.

The complaint accused Robredo, among other things, of betraying the public trust when she delivered a recorded speech at a United Nations side meeting criticizing the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.

Facing the House reporters, lawyer Bruce Rivera, one of the complainants, insisted that the complaint was “received” by a congressman but would neither identify him nor explain why the filing did not take place as announced.

Under the 1987 Constitution, an impeachment complaint may only be filed by a non-House member if it is endorsed by a lawmaker.

“Think all you want. You can make it look like that,” Rivera said in reply to persistent questions about whether his group experienced difficulty in finding a House member to endorse the complaint.

“When we were forming it, [the congressman] already reached out, saying we should go through with it …. It’s just that we have to be a little circumspect,” the lawyer said.

Later Tuesday, Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta Rep. Jericho Nograles said he was approached by two lawyers with the impeachment complaint bearing his name without his consent.

“They said they were the complainants of the impeachment complaint against Vice President Leni Robredo. And when presented with the complaint, I was surprised to see my name on the complaint,” Nograles told reporters.

Nograles, brother of Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles, chair of the appropriations committee, said he told the two lawyers to leave his office because they were using his name without his consent.

He was apparently one of the lawmakers approached by Rivera’s group.

As of Tuesday evening, there were no confirmed takers.

The camp of Robredo said the second impeachment complaint came as no surprise, calling it “harassment.”

“We are expecting them to file the impeachment complaint but from what we’ve heard from them a few weeks ago from their press conference, it seems like [the complaint] has no basis. In fact, they were attempting to crowdsource and do some fishing expedition,” Robredo’s legal adviser, Ibarra Gutierrez, told reporters.

Gutierrez said the Robredo camp was not bothered by the complaint and would rather focus on the “work to which Vice President Robredo was elected.”

“But, of course, we will face it if we have to. But it is clear that this is an attempt to destroy [Robredo], harassment and there’s really no clear basis for it,” Gutierrez said.

Independent opposition Rep. Edcel Lagman of Albay said there were no grounds to impeach the Vice President.

The Black and White Movement said the charges against Robredo “are only valid if free speech is no longer valid,” referring to critics’ claim that she had besmirched the country’s reputation when she spoke about the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs at a UN forum.

Rivera acknowledged that President Duterte had publicly repudiated any attempt to impeach Robredo, and that his group was facing an uphill battle in the House, where Robredo served as Camarines Sur representative before rising to the Vice Presidency.

An impeachment complaint requires the support of at least one-third of the 292-member House of Representatives, or at least 98 votes, before it is transmitted to the Senate, where the respondent will be tried by senators sitting as judges.

Earlier Tuesday, Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas said the “Impeach Leni” group should get an endorsement from a House member first before its complaint could be entertained under the rules.

“If those who file later do not get an endorsement, then it’s just a scrap of paper,” he told reporters.

At the briefing, Rivera could not immediately produce copies of the complaint, which he said had about 30 pages, for reporters, as the only validated copy was still with the unidentified congressman.

He, however, gave some details of the grounds cited and the purported evidence against Robredo.

Rivera said the impeachment complaint accused the Vice President of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, and graft and corruption.

He said Robredo betrayed the republic when she criticized the administration’s war on drugs in a recorded speech at a UN side meeting.

He said the Vice President’s words were “reckless and irresponsible,” noting disavowals by the Philippine National Police and other government agencies of her claims in the recorded message, including the charge about a “palit-ulo” scheme, literally meaning “exchanging heads” of those on drug watch lists with their friends or family.

Rivera also accused Robredo of misdeclaring her assets in her statement of assets, liabilities and net worth, when she put in her shares in Manila Electric Co. as a “business interest” without giving any amount.

He ascribed irregularities to Robredo when she still chaired the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, saying Pag-Ibig funded a convention in the United States that was not about housing but about social empowerment.

Robredo is the nominal leader of the Liberal Party. In December, she quit the Cabinet as housing secretary over policy and political differences with Mr. Duterte, and emerged as a leading opposition figure.

In March, Marcos loyalists Oliver Lozano and Melchor Chavez submitted to the Speaker’s office an impeachment complaint alleging that Robredo betrayed the public trust for her six-minute video presented at the 60th United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs annual meeting in Vienna.</s>The mere fact that no member of the House of Representatives is coming forward to claim that he or she endorsed the impeachment against Vice President Leni Robredo shows that the complaint is “weak and baseless,” Robredo’s camp said on Wednesday.

Barry Gutierrez, Robredo’s legal adviser, said the complaint by the group called “Impeach Leni Movement” was only part of a demolition campaign against the Vice President.

“Kung walang kongresistang nagnanais na mag-sponsor ng kanilang impeachment complaint, ipinapakita lamang nito na mahina at walang basehan ang kanilang reklamo,” Gutierrez said in a statement to the media.

“Hindi na nakakabigla ang pagpasa ng reklamong impeachment kay Vice President Leni Robredo. Ito ay bahagi ng isang malawakang kampanya upang siya ay siraan at tangkaing makuha ang mandatong ibinigay sa kaniya ng taumbayan noong nakaraang eleksyon,” he said.

The complainants led by lawyer Bruce Rivera insisted that the complaint was “received” by a congressman but he declined to identify him.

Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta Rep. Jericho Nograles said he was approached by two lawyers with the impeachment complaint bearing his name without his consent.

“They said they were the complainants of the impeachment complaint against Vice President Leni Robredo. And when presented with the complaint, I was surprised to see my name on the complaint,” Nograles said.

Nograles, brother of Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles, chair of the appropriations committee, said he told the two lawyers to leave his office because they were using his name without his consent.

As of Wednesday, no one has admitted to endorsing the complaint.

The basis of impeachment raps, accusing Robredo of betraying public trust and graft and corruption, are all lies, he said.

“Ang sinasabing mga basehan ng reklamo laban kay VP Leni ay pawang kasinungalingan lamang (Their bases for their complaint against VP Leni are nothing but lies),” Gutierrez said.

The group also accused Robredo of using Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) or Pag-Ibig Fund to sponsor a national convention in the United States which she attended in August last year.

Robredo previously headed the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) in July until she resigned from President Rodrigo Duterte’s cabinet in December.

But Robredo’s camp maintained that her track record is clean.

“Ang track record ni VP Leni ay malinis at walang bahid ng kurapsyon. Walang ginastos na pondong gobyerno sa kaniyang pagpunta sa Estados Unidos noong Agosto 2016, at mas lalong walang perang nagmula sa HUDCC o anumang ahensiya na nasa ilalim nito,” Gutierrez said.

(VP Leni’s track record is clean and has no tinge of corruption. She did not use any government funds in her trip to the United States in August 2016. She did not use funds from the HUDCC or any agency under it.) IDL
Philippine vice president Leni Robredo faces an impeachment charge before the House of Representatives for condemning the country's war on drugs at the United Nations.