By Robina Asido

The House of Representatives impeached Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday and formally endorsed the complaint against her to the Senate which will soon convene as an impeachment court.

The impeachment complaint was endorsed to the Senate around 4:30 pm after more than one third of the total of 306 House members verified the complaint.

Duterte told StoryCon that she has yet to read the impeachment complaint. But her brother Davao Rep. Pulong Duterte told The Big Story he was ''appalled and enraged by the desperate efforts to railroad the impeachment of VP Sara Duterte.''

The first impeachment complaint against Duterte was filed on December. Two more followed before congressmen signed the impeachment complaint against the vice president.

"One third of the total number of members of the House is 102... pursuant to Section 14 Rule 4 of the rules of procedure in impeachment proceedings, the total number of House members who verified and swore before me this impeachment complaint 215 House members," House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said during the plenary session.

During the session the House members also approved the appointment of congressmen Gerville Luistro, Romeo Acop, Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez, Joel Chua, Raul Angelo Bongalon, Loreto Acharon, Marcelino Libanan, Arnan Panaligan, Ysabel Maria Zamora, Lorenz Defensor, and Jonathan Keith Flores as prosecutors in the impeachment trial against Duterte.

The impeachment complaint was delivered by Velasco to the Senate around 4:30 pm.

With Congress adjourning for the election campaign on Feb. 7, it was not known when the Senate will convene as an impeachment court.

According to the verified complaint, Duterte was impeached "based on the grounds of culpable violation of the constitution, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption and other high crimes."

The first lawmaker to sign the impeachment complaint against Duterte was Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos, reports said.

In a television interview, Iloilo Rep. Jeanette Garin said the signature gathering for the impeachment of Duterte started around lunch time before it was submitted to the House plenary hearing.

"Of course one of those who are present there is Congressman Sandro Marcos so he was also there as a member of Partido Federal (ng Pilipinas) the one leading Partido Federal," she said. DMS