MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte’s troubles may continue to double with an impeachment rap possibly coming her way soon, former senator Antonio Trillanes III said on Wednesday, November 27.
Trillanes was on his way to the House Quad Panel to expose links between former president Rodrigo Duterte and illegal drug trade.
Related Stories
In an ambush interview with the media, Trillanes was asked about possible impeachment raps against the former president’s daughter.
Asked if the time was right to impeach her, Trillanes said “hinog na hinog na.” (The time is very, very ripe.)
Trillanes has been a consistent critic of the Dutertes. Aside from being a vocal critic, Trillanes was also one of the petitioners who filed a case at the International Criminal Court prompting them to investigate Rodrigo’s bloody war on drugs.
During the interview, Trillanes stressed that the impeachment has a sense of urgency.
“She could be president any time, in cases of emergency. Kaya imagine mo 'yung asal na linalabas niya, pinapakita niya, bibigyan mo ng power ng presidency 'yan? Dapat kinikilabutan ang bawat Pilipino. Wala ito sa tamang katinuan,” Trillanes said.
(She could be president any time, in cases of emergency. Imagine if her behavior that she is exhibiting now, the one she is showing, if you give it the power of the presidency? Every Filipino should be scared. She is not in the right mind.)
“May topak,” Trillanes said. (There is something wrong.)
However, Trillanes clarified that he would not be the one to file the case. He said that a draft has been ready for a while but new information will be added.
“I am saying that there will be someone who will file,” Trillanes said, adding that there is a “joint effort.”
The Makabayan bloc, another set of Duterte’s fiercest critics, is apparently not involved in the joint effort.
“Definitely not Makabayan. I do not know what their plans are, but our plans are different,” Trillanes said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Trillanes also quashed the Duterte patriarch's accusation that he was being backed by Malacañang.
“You would have to be naive, so politically dense, or talagang cult follower ka, to actually believe him. He can say whatever he wants to say,” Trilanes said.
Trillanes, a former military man before joining politics, also reacted to the elder Duterte’s call for the Armed Forces of the Philippines to go against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. — a call that Trillanes has deemed criminal.
However, Trillanes appeared confident that military support for Duterte remains low at less than 5%, based on his estimation. Most of them were junior officers and mid-ranking.
“Mga senior officers, they are solidly behind the president,” Trillanes said.
The Dutertes have drawn a clear line in the sand, with a series of increasingly controversial statements.
The vice president had boldly announced that she has plans to have Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and House Speaker Martin Romualdez killed if she dies. This was followed shortly by the Duterte patriarch calling on the military to turn against Marcos.
Authorities are now investigating the vice president's threat. She has since backtracked on her statement, saying that it was taken out of context. However, during her tirade, she made herself clear that she was not joking.