PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. will not lift a finger and interfere with the impeachment case of Vice President Sara Duterte, a Malacañang official said yesterday amid calls for the President to call for a special session so the Senate can convene into an impeachment court.
Lawyer and newly appointed communications undersecretary Clarissa Castro maintained that the impeachment case is already with Congress, which is a separate and equal branch of government.
Castro said the stand of the President regarding the Vice President’s impeachment has been clear from the start – that he is not in favor of it.
“Hindi siya makikiaalam. Hindi siya kikilos kung ito man ay matuloy or di matuloy (He will not interfere. He will not do anything whether it will continue or not),” she said.
She reiterated that the claims of the Duterte camp that Marcos had a hand in the impeachment is just their opinion.
More than 200 members of the House of Representatives supported the impeachment of Duterte, the first vice president of the Philippines to be impeached by the House, who is facing accusations of culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes, including the alleged misuse of confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education (DepEd) when she was education secretary.
The complaint against Duterte also involves serious allegations, including a conspiracy to assassinate the President, First Lady Liza Marcos, and Romualdez; the alleged malversation of P612.5 million in confidential funds, bribery and corruption within the DepEd, unexplained wealth, and the failure to disclose assets.
The Vice President is also facing allegations of involvement in extrajudicial killings, destabilization, insurrection, and public disorder.
