Malacañang on Tuesday said Vice President Sara Duterte should personally face the impeachment court to answer the allegations against her, saying it would be the best opportunity to refute the accusations if she has done nothing wrong.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said it is not yet time for Duterte to take the witness stand because the proceedings have yet to reach that stage.
Duterte did not attend the start of her impeachment trial on Monday, saying “the decision to personally testify is a matter of legal strategy and constitutional rights.”
Castro, however, said appearing before the impeachment court would allow Duterte to directly confront the evidence and witnesses against her.
“As a Filipino, and as a lawyer, mas maganda na ang isang tao na naaakusahan ay makaharap niya ‘yung mga witnesses against her (As a Filipino and as a lawyer, it is better for a person who is accused to face the witnesses against her),” Castro said in a chance interview.
“Although alam kong hindi niya tatanggapin ito, hindi tatanggapin ang opinyon ng kahit na sino. Pero mas maganda, kung ako ang lawyer at alam ko na walang mali, malinis, walang pwedeng ikaso sa kanya, papaharapin ko siya para mapasinungalingan lahat ang mga akusasyon sa kanya
(Although I know she won’t accept this—or anyone else’s opinion—I think it would be better if, as her lawyer, I knew he had done nothing wrong, that she was completely clean, and that no case could be filed against her. I would have her face the accusations directly so that every allegation against him could be disproven.)
Not Fixated
Castro reiterated that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is not closely monitoring the impeachment proceedings despite their political significance.
“Kapag sinabi bang monitoring eh nakatutok, hindi siya ganun. Maraming trabaho ang pangulo… ‘Yung tutok hindi (If by monitoring you mean constantly watching the proceedings, it is not like that. The President has many responsibilities. He is not fixated on it),” she said.
Earlier, the Palace said Marcos is focused on governance and would simply be informed of major developments in the impeachment proceedings.
The Vice President is facing charges of culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, and alleged misuse of confidential funds amounting to more than PHP612 million.
Under the Constitution, conviction requires the vote of at least two-thirds of all senator-judges. If convicted, Duterte would be removed from office and permanently disqualified from holding any public office.
Meanwhile, Senator Erwin Tulfo denied allegations that Duterte’s impeachment trial was being used as a smokescreen to divert public attention from the alleged flood control anomaly.
Speaking at the “Balitaan” forum in Manila on Tuesday, Tulfo said the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, which he chairs, will continue its inquiry once sessions resume. He added that he is willing to inhibit from the investigation if a majority of his colleague decide that he should do so.
Tulfo said he is considering appointing a subcommittee chairman to oversee the flood control probe and possibly invite the 18 bodyguards, the former soldiers who alleged delivering bribe money to certain officials.
He said witnesses appearing before the committee will be required to submit affidavits, which senators will use as a basis for their questions.
“The investigation is not over yet. There will be no cover-up,” Tulfo said.
The committee is expected to resume its inquiry after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s fifth State of the Nation Address on July 27. (With Bong Patinio/PNA)