MANILA, Philippines — Whereas some assume the Chief Government can have a say on the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte regardless of separation of powers, President Marcos stated he selected to not.
Within the final a part of the second episode of the BBM podcast launched yesterday, Marcos reiterated he has no position within the impeachment trial of his ally-turned-critic.
Marcos, a former legislator, insisted that an impeachment course of falls inside the ambit of the legislative division.
“It’s between Congress (Home of Representatives) and the Senate,” he informed News5 anchor Cheryl Cosim.
Marcos stated he’s centered on addressing the nation’s issues akin to enhancing public transportation and meals safety.
“That’s not my…I’m busy with the transport, with the rice, with all the various things that we’re doing that each one my time is spent there,” he stated.
Malacañang has repeatedly stated the President wouldn’t meddle within the impeachment trial of Duterte.
Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro earlier stated Marcos is assured the 2 homes of Congress will be capable to resolve disagreements on the impeachment trial.
Castro, nonetheless, clarified that the President desires the nation’s officers to observe the Structure and the rule of regulation.
In an interview in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia final month, Marcos stated he by no means needed Duterte impeached.
“Why do I’ve to maintain on explaining that I don’t want the impeachment?” the President stated.
Eroding public belief
Amid mounting public criticism, Senate impeachment court docket spokesman Reginald Tongol yesterday warned of the dangers of eroding public belief within the Senate tribunal, which can carry far-reaching penalties to the nation’s authorized and democratic methods.
“If there may be any assault on the credibility of the court docket, because the spokesperson, I’m additionally going to defend the credibility of the court docket, as a result of nothing good might be achieved by destroying the credibility of the court docket,” Tongol stated in a information discussion board.
The Senate is dealing with criticism from the general public, together with members of the Home of Representatives, over its supposed mishandling of the case – chief of which is the remanding of the Articles of Impeachment again to the Home.
Tongol acknowledged that whereas some members of the general public could have doubts about particular person senators, the establishment they serve should nonetheless be trusted. He additionally emphasised that the integrity of the method rests not solely on the actions of its members but additionally on the general public’s religion in its legitimacy.
“As a result of when the impeachment court docket reaches a call, whether or not favorable or unfavorable to 1 celebration, we now have to have the ability to imagine that what they did is definitely acceptable to everybody,” he stated.
“Nonetheless, if the credibility of a court docket will get demolished, there might be chaos and there might be anarchy. Due to this fact, we have to clarify to the nation that it’s essential, particularly to the litigants, to respect the credibility and independence of the court docket,” he added.
The impeachment course of, Tongol confused, is a constitutional treatment.
“We’ve got no different course of, no different course of aside from the continuation of the impeachment course of within the Senate. We can not simply give it to another physique,” he stated.
Tongol maintained that because the trial strikes ahead, public understanding and confidence within the tribunal’s position might be important.
Senators lauded
Home minority chief and 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan yesterday lauded senator-judges who’ve avoided publicly commenting on the deserves of the impeachment criticism in opposition to Vice President Sara Duterte.
“Silence will not be a weak point. It’s a mark of self-discipline and integrity,” Libanan stated in a press release.
“We commend our senator-judges who’ve chosen the excessive highway of restraint. Silence, within the context of an ongoing trial, will not be passivity. It’s professionalism,” he added.
Libanan, one of many 11-member Home prosecution panel, cited the Structure’s demand for neutrality from judges in any authorized or quasi-legal continuing.
“Each assertion a decide makes outdoors the courtroom is a possible problem to equity inside it. The self-discipline proven by some senators is subsequently not simply admirable – it’s important,” he stated. — Neil Jayson Servallos, Jose Rodel Clapano, Miriam Desacada