Former Senate Pres. Franklin Drilon Views Pres. Bongbong Marcos’ Decision as “Political”
DRILON – The former Senate President reacted to President Bongbong Marcos not calling for a special session over Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.
The Filipino populace has a divided opinion on the impeachment moves against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. The House of Representatives has approved the Vice President’s impeachment and it is now up to the Senate to conduct a trial.
Previously, Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero released a proposed timeline over the impeachment trial of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. Based on the proposed timetable, the impeachment trial will start on July 30.
However, Escudero clarified that the proposed timeline still needs the nod of the lawmakers in the Senate. The Senate President refused to call for a special session over the impeachment trial asserting that the upper chamber has an approved legislative calendar.
Furthermore, Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero said he does not see a need to call for a special session. Escudero also said that even 1 million signatures cannot convince him to start the impeachment trial while the Senate is on recess.
Previously, Malacañang press officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said that Pres. Bongbong Marcos Jr. will be in an “awkward position” to call for a special session over the impeachment trial of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. She stressed that there are allegations linking the President to the impeachment moves.
According to Castro, it would be better if the Senate will write to Pres. Marcos to request for a special session over the impeachment trial. She also said that the other senators can do it in case the Senate President won’t.
Recently, a former Senate President, Franklin Drilon, reacted to the impeachment issue of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. Based on a report on Daily Guardian, the former Senate Leader questions the move of Pres. Bongbong Marcos not calling for a special session.
“I suspect that the reason why the president is not calling for a special session is political… It doesn’t make much sense to conduct the impeachment trial before the elections,” he said.
According to former Senate Pres. Franklin Drilon, holding the impeachment trial before the elections will allegedly expose the lawmakers in the Senate to political pressure which may influence their decision. Based on the report, he is confident that the Marcos administration will really see to it that the trial transpires after the poll.
“All these senators are subject to pressure from all sides… Whoever has the greatest influence will likely get the results they want,” the former Senate President said.
Drilon also stressed that Marcos Jr.’s power to call for a special session is absolute. Thus, “no amount of petitions would affect the president’s power to call a special session”.
Amid the waiting for the trial, there are Filipinos who hope that the Duterte allies in the Senate will inhibit themselves from acting as senator-judges. For his part, Sen. Bato dela Rosa said he will base his vote on the evidence if the impeachment trial of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte has him as a senator-judge.