Senators urged: Stay impartial, avoid comments on VP Sara’s impeachment
MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Francis Escudero urged his fellow senators to remain impartial and refrain from making public statements about the recent impeachment complaint filed against Vice President Sara Duterte.
In a statement on Tuesday, December 3, Escudero said the impeachment process is a constitutional mechanism for ensuring accountability.
“In light of this development, I reiterate my call to my colleagues in the Senate to refrain from making any public comments or statements regarding the allegations in the complaint's articles of impeachment. Should the Senate be called upon to act as an impeachment court, any perception of bias or pre-judgment would undermine not only the integrity of the impeachment trial but also the public's trust in the Senate as an institution,” Escudero said.
“The Senate stands ready to fulfill its constitutional mandate with integrity and impartiality while upholding the national interest,” he added.
Escudero made a similar appeal to his fellow senators back in August, but the concern now seems more pressing.
On Monday, December 2, an impeachment complaint was filed against Duterte. The complaint comes as a reckoning, with some of the complainants being relatives of extrajudicial killing victims from her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte's bloody war on drugs.
The impeachment complaint was endorsed by Akbayan Party-list Rep. Perci Cendaña.
If the House of Representatives approves the impeachment complaint, the Senate will act as the judge.
“Experience has shown that impeachment proceedings are inherently divisive and have the potential to polarize the government and the public. However, we must not allow this to detract from the pressing legislative work that lies ahead,” Escudero said.
The Senate president said it was important to rise above the political noise, especially with the midterm elections coming up.
Duterte has several allies in the Senate, including Sens. Bato dela Rosa, Bong Go and Robin Padilla.
Sen. Imee Marcos, the sister of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., has also called Sara her friend, despite the vice president threatening to kill her brother. Imee has even attempted to boost the Office of the Vice President’s budget in the Senate after the House of Representatives reduced it.
Duterte's death threat to the president, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and House Speaker Martin Romualdez is also one of the articles listed in the impeachment complaint.
“While accountability mechanisms like impeachment serve an important role in a democracy, the outcome--whether in favor of or against the official involved--should not impede the Senate's broader mission to serve our countrymen. Allowing our legislative responsibilities to be overshadowed by the political dimensions of impeachment would be a disservice to our nation,” Escudero said.
Marcos has admitted that he has asked the House of Representatives to cease any impeachment efforts against Duterte, as it would be a waste of their time.
The Palace, through Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, has already distanced itself with the impeachment issue, saying that it was solely the initiative of private citizens.
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