Impractical to push for VP Sara’s impeachment – PBBM

By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos, Philippine News Agency

Marcos made the statement, as he cited the “very poor” timing of the impeachment calls against Duterte. (File Photo: House of Representatives of the Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA – It is not practical to push for Vice President Sara Duterte’s removal from office, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Friday.

Marcos made the statement, as he cited the “very poor” timing of the impeachment calls against Duterte.

This, after Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile warned Wednesday against a “very detrimental precedent,” if the country follows the implied logic of religious group Iglesia ni Cristo’s recent rally, which was held nationwide to support Marcos’ objection to Duterte’s impeachment.

While Marcos agreed that Enrile is “one of [the] best legal thinkers in the country,” he said he is still opposed to the idea of impeaching Duterte.

“He (Enrile) is right, there is a consequence to [that]. There will be a precedent, and it will be very problematic,” Marcos told reporters in an interview in Burauen, Leyte.

“The House doesn’t have a choice, and the Senate doesn’t have a choice once these impeachment complaints are filed. Well, I don’t think that now is the time to go through that,” he said.

Marcos said it is not the right time to impeach Duterte, since the mid-term elections would be held this year.

“As a practical matter, papasok na tayo sa campaign period. Wala ng congressman, wala ng senador dahil nangangampanya na sila. Hindi tayo makakapagbuo ng quorum (we are entering the campaign period. There are no congressmen, no senators because they are already campaigning. We cannot form a quorum). And so, as a practical matter, the timing is very poor,” he said.

Duterte is facing three impeachment complaints before the House of Representatives for alleged violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, plunder and malversation, bribery, graft and corruption, and other high crimes as grounds for impeachment.

In November 2024, Marcos said filing an impeachment complaint against Duterte would only distract the government from the real work of government “which is to improve the lives of all Filipinos.”