A former member of Congress identified as a potential witness has indicated readiness to testify should impeachment proceedings against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. advance to trial, according to former lawmaker Mike Defensor.
Speaking to reporters on Friday during a briefing held by the Philippine Accreditation for National Accountability (PANA), Defensor said former congressman Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co had expressed willingness to take the stand, a development he said sustains the substance of the impeachment allegations despite procedural setbacks in the House of Representatives.
“Yes, he is willing to be a witness,” Defensor said.
PANA, which lodged the impeachment complaint, was blocked earlier this week from submitting a third filing after the House Secretariat declined to receive the documents. Defensor said the group was set to convene later in the day to determine whether it would attempt to refile the complaint on January 26.
He added that legal action would also be pursued against the Office of the Secretary General of the House of Representatives following its refusal to accept the complaint. According to Defensor, the filing was rejected by the office’s executive director on the ground that the secretary-general was overseas at the time.
“We will discuss it, we will fight, we will not take this sitting down. We will file a case against the Secretary General’s Office,” Defensor said.
Lawyers Ferdinand Topacio and Manny Lunar, representing PANA, said the filing constituted a “people’s complaint” accusing the president of fiscal mismanagement related to unprogrammed appropriations in the 2023 General Appropriations Act. Lunar said the provisions in question amounted to P588 billion without clearly identified funding sources.
Defensor further alleged that from 2023 to 2025, the appropriations covered projects that included some of the largest irregularities linked to flood control spending.
The dispute drew criticism from within the House minority. Senior Deputy Minority Leader Edgar Erice said on Friday that procedural maneuvers were being used to shield the president from scrutiny, warning that the approach undermines constitutional accountability.
“This is not about the merits of impeachment,” Erice said. “This is about the deliberate manipulation of process to prevent the truth from coming out.”
Erice said the filing of what he described as a weak impeachment complaint could be used to block more substantial cases by triggering the Constitution’s one-year prohibition on multiple impeachment proceedings against the same official. He emphasized that his remarks were directed at the process itself rather than any individual officeholder.
“This goes beyond any administration. If this practice is allowed now, it will be used again in the future. That is how constitutional accountability erodes,” he said.
He also faulted the House Secretary General’s Office for declining to receive impeachment complaints during the secretary-general’s absence, noting that under the Constitution and House rules, accepting and docketing such filings are ministerial acts that should not depend on a single official’s presence.
“Refusal to receive is not a neutral administrative act,” Erice said. “It affects timing, docketing and inclusion in the Order of Business, and can ultimately determine whether an impeachment complaint is ever acted upon.”
Erice said deliberately refusing to accept filings could amount to grave abuse of discretion that may be reviewed by the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, Malacañang challenged Defensor to back up his public statements questioning the legitimacy of an earlier impeachment complaint filed by lawyer Andre de Jesus. In a statement issued Friday, Press Officer Claire Castro said Defensor should provide evidence to support his claim that the filing was a “scam.”
“Mike Defensor should substantiate his accusation against Atty. De Jesus,” Castro said.
Castro rejected assertions that the controversy implicated Malacañang, the House Speaker, or the President, stressing that the Palace had no involvement in the disputes surrounding the impeachment filings.
“Anyway, Atty. de Jesus already admitted that he worked as counsel for the PDP-Laban Duterte faction. We have nothing to do with their bickering,” Castro said.
The impeachment complaint filed by de Jesus, and endorsed by Pusong Pinoy Party-list Representative Jett Nisay, accused President Marcos of constitutional violations and betrayal of public trust, citing among its grounds the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte under an International Criminal Court warrant and alleged corruption tied to flood control projects. Castro has previously said the president maintains that his actions complied with the Constitution and the law and that he committed no impeachable offense.
