PBBM on VP Sara impeachment: Let process take its course

Vice President Sara Duterte. (File Photo: Inday Sara Duterte/Facebook)

By Darryl John Esguerra, Philippine News Agency

MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said the impeachment process against Vice President Sara Duterte must proceed without interference.

In the inaugural episode of his “BBM Podcast” aired Monday, Marcos said Duterte’s impeachment is now in the hands of the Senate.

“Yung impeachment nasa Senado na ‘yan. Pabayaan natin sila, may proseso ‘yan. Pabayaan natin ang proseso (The impeachment is now with the Senate. Let’s leave it to them, there’s a process. Let the process take its course),” Marcos said.

While refraining from directly commenting on the merits of the impeachment case, the President emphasized the importance of moving forward from political divisions.

“Ako basta ang nasa isip ko, tapos na ang eleksyon, balik sa trabaho (As for me, what’s on my mind is that the elections are over, we should return to work) with the new lessons learned,” he added.

Senate President Francis Escudero initially scheduled the impeachment trial to begin on July 30 to accommodate the 12 newly elected senators of the 20th Congress.

The new senators, along with the 12 incumbents from the 19th Congress, will serve as senator-judges in the trial.

The President previously discouraged lawmakers from pursuing Duterte’s impeachment, noting that it would be counterproductive and just a waste of time.

Duterte’s impeachment stemmed from a string of complaints, ranging from the misuse of public funds to perceived plotting of Marcos’s assassination.