Statement of Malacañang on Looming Impeachment Trial of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte
MALACAÑANG – The Palace stressed that the result of the impeachment trial is in the hands of the Senate not President Bongbong Marcos.
Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero previously affirmed that Vice Pres. Duterte’s impeachment trial will push through despite former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s detention under the International Criminal Court. The Vice President immediately flew to The Hague, Netherlands for FPRRD following his arrest.
However, Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero turned down several calls to start Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial right away. His proposed schedule for the start of the impeachment trial is on July 30. According to him, the Senate follows a calendar of activities which should not be disrupted for an impeachment trial.
Upon her return from a three-week stay at The Hague, Vice Pres. Duterte immediately met with her legal team for her impeachment trial. According to her, her legal team was already set even before the unexpected turn of events last March 11. The Vice President set the ICC legal team of former Pres. Duterte before returning to the Philippines.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s lawyers are “more than confident” to win the impeachment trial against her. According the Vice President, on her part, she is most confident on the lawyers that will defend her.
Malacañang recently reacted to the confidence of Vice Pres. Duterte’s lawyers tagging it as “strategy”. Palace Press Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro also stressed that Malacañang has nothing to do with the impeachment trial of the Vice President.
“The impeachment trial is not in the hands of the President. Whatever happens there, that is in the hands of the Senate,” Castro said based on a report on PhilStar.
The spending of the Confidential Funds of the offices led by Vice Pres. Sara Duterte is one of the issues in her impeachment. Based on the report, the Vice President claimed that it is not that she can’t explain as it is really her decision not to explain.
“It’s not that I can’t explain. What I do is I refuse to explain, especially to members of the House of Representatives,” she said.
Previously, a House prosecutor stressed that a straight answer from Vice Pres. Sara Duterte “would answer all questions”.