PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Thursday that the executive department was not involved with the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte and distanced himself from the process.
“No, the executive cannot have a hand in the impeachment. Walang role ang executive sa impeachment,” President Marcos said during a Palace press conference when asked about the filing of the impeachment complaint.
On the idea that nothing happens in the House of Representatives without the President’s approval, he responded that he was being given too much credit.
He said the House has done its constitutional mandate as legislators have to proceed with the impeachment complaints.
“They will decide how they will proceed. I don’t think you can expect the congressman, or the senator, or the SP, or the Speaker to come to me, ‘Oh, what do you want us to do?’ They have their own way of doing things,” the President stressed.
“I do not give guidance to Congress. Again, you give too much credit that I can tell congressmen to do this, and to do that. I cannot. I do not give guidance to Congress. We are independent of each other.”
President Marcos said his allies in the House heeded his call not to initiate the impeachment process because the timing was unfavorable for the country, which has to deal with many challenges.
Quoting from Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile’s statement, the President said that once the impeachment complaint is filed, members of both houses of Congress have no choice but to proceed.
“The House has no choice, the Senate has no choice, kailangan nilang iproseso ang impeachment complaint. And that’s precisely what has happened,” the President said.
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives impeached Duterte, formally accusing her of a serious breach of the Constitution that could result in her removal from office. It marks the first time a vice president of the Philippines has been impeached.
Duterte is facing accusations of culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, and other high crimes, including her alleged misuse of confidential funds of her office and the Department of Education (DepEd).
At least 215 House members backed the fourth impeachment complaint against the Vice President on the last session day before Congress adjourned for the midterm elections.
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