Pulong: Sara a victim of political prosecution, sinister maneuvering

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THE Marcos Jr. administration is courting the public’s ire by impeaching Vice President Sara Duterte, Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte yesterday warned after the House of Representatives impeached his sister and transmitted the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate for trial.

Stressing that the Vice President is a “victim of political prosecution,” Rep. Duterte said: “I am appalled and enraged by the desperate and politically motivated efforts to railroad the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte.”

As of printing of this article, the Vice President has yet to react to the decision of the House to impeach her for culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption and other high crimes.

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Rep. Duterte said the “sinister maneuvering” of certain lawmakers “to hastily collect signatures and push for the immediate approval and transmittal of this baseless impeachment case is a clear act of political persecution.”

The Davao City lawmaker particularly accused Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin of leading the efforts to gather signatures, an allegation she strongly denied.

“Maybe he (Rep. Duterte) should come to work here in Congress so he’ll know what’s really happening,” Garin told a television interview.

Rep. Duterte said the administration is “treading on dangerous ground,” reminding it of the huge “peace” rally staged recently by the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC).

“If they were unfazed by the over one million rallying supporters of the Iglesia Ni Cristo, then they are blindly marching toward an even greater storm — one that could shake the very foundation of their rule. The Filipino people will not sit idly by as this government undermines democracy and silences opposition through fabricated accusations,” he said.

“If the Marcos administration thinks it can push this sham impeachment without consequence, they are gravely mistaken. This is not just about VP Sara Duterte — this is about the will of the Filipino people. The growing discontent and frustration across the country will not be contained for long. Mark my words: this reckless abuse of power will not end in their favor,” he warned.

‘EXPECTED’

Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, a staunch ally of the Duterte family and the first PNP chief of former President Rodrigo Duterte, said he had long expected that the Vice President will be impeached.

“Expected ko na ‘yun. I have been expecting that to happen… Nakita ko ‘yung kanilang effort na talagang i-impeach nila si VP Sara (I am expecting that. I have been expecting that this will happen because it was obvious that they really want to impeach her),” Dela Rosa said in a press conference at the Senate.

Lawyer Salvador Panelo, chief presidential legal counsel during the Duterte administration, said that he, too, had expected that the “anti-forces” would proceed with the impeachment process and, “having the numbers, railroading the process is a foregone conclusion.”

“These lawmakers obviously have not heeded the overwhelming voice of the people opposing the impeachment of the Vice President, nor have they respected the wish of PBBM (President Marcos Jr.) to forego such a divisive and non-productive political endeavor that does not benefit a single Filipino,” he said in a statement.

He reiterated that the impeachment move aims to destroy and besmirch the reputation of the Vice President, with the ultimate goal of disqualifying her from participating in the 2028 presidential elections.

Panelo said that, on the contrary, the impeachment of the Vice President could lead to a stronger and more public support for the daughter of the former president, as well as “fan the flames of disgust and rage against their willful and brazen violation of the guarantees enshrined in the Constitution.”

TRUTH AND JUSTICE

For his part, Presidential Adviser on Poverty Alleviation Larry Gadon expressed support to the 215 lawmakers who voted to impeach Duterte.

Gadon said the lawmakers are admirable for endorsing and signing the impeachment complaint, and for their siding with the truth and justice.

He said that in his “personal opinion,” the Vice President should be impeached for the alleged irregularities in her office, even as he called on members of the Senate to act on the initiatives of the House.

WHAT NOW?

He Dela Rosa said he had earlier informally discussed with some of his fellow senators, whom he refused to name, what the Senate will do when the Articles of Impeachment are transmitted since Congress will be on break from February 8 to June 1 for the campaign period.

“So, most likely, the earliest that we will tackle that in the plenary is after the elections,” he said, adding he also does not know if senators are allowed to hold sessions while Congress is on break since the rules of impeachment have yet to be crafted.

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EVIDENCE-BASED

While he acknowledged his close relations with the Dutertes, Dela Rosa vowed he will rule on the culpability of the Vice President based on evidence and the merits of the impeachment complaint.

“I am not denying that I am close to the Vice President. I’m not denying that I am identified with the Dutertes. (But) My decision will be made once I have studied the Articles of Impeachment atsaka ‘yung (and the) conduct ng (of the) trial on how the prosecution present their case,” he said.

He said he does not mind what people thinks of his closeness with the Vice President.

“Alam naman natin na itong impeachment is a political exercise. But still, as a sitting judge, I have to maintain my political neutrality. I should be apolitical this time (We all know that impeachment is a political exercise. But still, as a sitting judge, I have to maintain my political neutrality. I should be apolitical this time),” he added.

Dela Rosa said he has no idea how the impeachment trial will affect his re-election bid, saying he will just leave it to the people if they still want to give him a second term in the Senate. – With Raymond Africa and Jocelyn Montemayor

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