After the House of Representatives impeached her last week with an overwhelming vote, Vice-president Sara Duterte-Carpio said she would likely not attend her trial by the Senate acting as impeachment court.
After 215 of the House’s 314 members affixed their signatures to the fourth impeachment complaint filed against her, Duterte-Carpio faced the media and said, “God save the Philippines.”
And while Senate President Chiz Escudero, who will preside over Duterte-Carpio’s trial, said the Vice-president may be represented by counsel, there are exceptions when she will have no choice but to show up.
One example is when a witness to her alleged impeachable offenses has to identify Duterte-Carpio.
The House lawmakers who signed the complaint cited graft and corruption; betrayal of public trust; culpable violation of the Constitution; and other high crimes as impeachment grounds.
They cited the Vice-president’s supposed mismanagement of PHP612.5-million confidential funds; her bribery of Education department officials; and threat against the lives of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
In her appearance before local media, Duterte-Carpio denied ever threatening the President, First Lady and Speaker. This, despite a video recording showing that she indeed aired the threat on one condition: the trio were to be assassinated if the Vice-president herself were killed first.
Akbayan Rep. Perci Cendaña and Makabayan bloc lawmakers – Gabriela Women’s Rep. Arlene Brosas, ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro, and Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel – said Duterte-Carpio had failed to show public accountability during her press conference.
Cendaña said: “If anyone should be saying ‘God save the Philippines,’ it’s the people suffering from her and her family’s corruption, incompetence, and impunity.”
For its part, the Makabayan bloc said, “God save the Philippines from corruption and EJKs (extrajudicial killings). God save the Philippines from Duterte 2.0.”
In a joint statement, Taguig Rep. Pammy Zamora, Ako Bicol Rep. Jil Bongalon, La Union Rep. Paolo Ortega, and Zambales Rep. Jay Khonghun said the Vice-president’s “dismissive” remarks showed she is bothered with her coming impeachment trial.
“Her attempt at nonchalance cannot mask the reality of the situation. Her statements reflected an underlying fear, poorly disguised as indifference,” they said.
“The looming proceedings hang over her like the sword of Damocles — a constant reminder that her hold on power is precarious. No amount of carefully staged public statements can change the fact that she must answer to the evidence that will be presented,” they added.
Senate President Chiz Escudero said the upper chamber will convene as an impeachment court when Congress’ session resumes in June.
Meanwhile, President Marcos still insisted that he had nothing to do with the impeachment of his estranged Vice-president. He was also non-committal about calling for a special session to commence the impeachment trial, saying he would only do so upon the request of the senators.
There have been conflicting legal opinions on whether the trial should begin immediately, or wait until after the mid-term elections, when a new set of 12 senators will be elected.
Under the current Senate, Duterte-Carpio has no less than 13 out of the 24 members who are said to be against the trial, including the President’s sister, Sen. Imee Marcos, who is vehemently against it.
On the other hand, it was noted that the very first lawmaker to sign the impeachment at the House was none other than Sandro Marcos, son of the President, who said he signed the document due to the threats and insults the Vice-president had made against his father, mother, and grandfather, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
