(UPDATE) PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had nothing to do with the impeachment complaint filed by civil society groups against Vice President Sara Duterte before the House of Representatives, Malacañang said Tuesday.
In a statement, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said the impeachment complaint was “clearly the complainants’ independent initiative.”
He added that endorsement of the complaint was the prerogative of any member of the House of Representatives.
“The Office of the President has nothing to do with it. The President’s earlier statement on the matter is unambiguous,” Bersamin said.
In a separate ambush interview, Bersamin reiterated that the Marcos camp would not encourage the filing of impeachment complaints.
“The President has been very clear about his position on this. So any suggestion that is political or instigated by our side, no. That is never true,” he added.
Bersamin also said the impeachment process could distract the government from doing its work.
On Monday afternoon, private individuals filed an impeachment complaint against Duterte, citing 24 violations allegedly committed by the vice president.
The impeachment was filed on the grounds of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution and other high crimes.
Akbayan Party-list Rep. Percival Cendaña endorsed the 50-page impeachment document crafted by religious leaders, sectoral representatives, and families of drug war victims.
The impeachment complaint was filed a week after Duterte said in a tirade that she had contracted someone to kill President Marcos, first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and Speaker Martin Romualdez, if an alleged plot against her succeeds.
The vice president later on said her statement was not a threat, saying she only highlighted the alleged threat to her security. She also said that her remarks were “taken out of logical context.”
Authorities, however, considered Duterte’s remarks as a threat to the president and a matter of national security.
The president last week told Congress he did not support any impeachment plan against Duterte, believing that it would not benefit the lives of Filipinos.
“This (impeachment) is not important. This does not make a difference to even one single Filipino life. So why waste time on it?” he added.
Also on Tuesday, Senate President Francis Escudero appealed to fellow senators to avoid making any public comments or statements about the impeachment complaint against the vice president.
He said that the filing and endorsing of an impeachment complaint in the House of Representatives marks the beginning of a constitutional process designed to ensure accountability among the country’s highest public officials.
“In light of this situation, I urge my fellow Senators to avoid making any public comments or statements about the allegations presented in the articles of impeachment,” the Senate chief said.
He added that because the Senate is called to serve as an impeachment court, any appearance of bias or pre-judgment could compromise the integrity of the impeachment trial and the public’s trust in the Senate as an institution.
Despite Escudero’s appeal, Sen. JV Ejercito said the impeachment would send an unfavorable signal to the international community about the country’s political instability.
In a chance interview, Ejercito said the impeachment process is “very divisive.”
“We know the impeachment is more political than legal,” he added.
He also said the perception of instability would keep foreign investors away from the country.
Impeachment in the Philippines is the power of Congress to charge a government official with an impeachable offense formally. Once the House of Representatives impeaches the official, the Senate conducts a trial where the senators act as impeachment judges. If the official is convicted, the impeached official may be either removed from office or censured.
Escudero said that although impeachment is often viewed as a political process, Senate members must approach it impartially and objectively.
“We must remain steadfast in upholding the principles of justice and fairness, ensuring that every step of the process adheres to the Rule of Law. This is what justice requires. This is what our people demand,” he said.
The former spokesman of ex-president Rodrigo Duterte, Harry Roque, said he was not shocked by the impeachment cases filed against the vice president.
WITH BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO, ARIC JOHN SY CUA AND JAVIER JOE ISMAEL
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