Legarda ‘raring to come back’ to the Philippines, says her spokesperson
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Loren Legarda is “raring to come back” to the Philippines as soon as possible, her spokesperson said Thursday.
In an interview with the Inquirer, lawyer Tony La Viña said there is no definite date for Legarda’s return from France.
The senator is undergoing treatment for a serious lung disease that, the lawyer said, can flare up when she is under stress.
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His statement comes amid an ongoing ombudsman investigation involving Legarda and her son, Batangas First District Rep. Leandro Leviste.
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Her absence raises questions on whether she will still be able to vote in the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte.
La Viña said he cannot not disclose the specific details of Legarda’s condition, as it constitutes privileged information.
But he said it can possibly be an autoimmune disease that Legarda has been having for a long time.
“When the treatment is done, that’s when she will return. As far as I know, I don’t know if there’s a specific date,” La Viña said.
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Asked whether Legarda will return to the Philippines if the complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman proceeds, La Viña said the senator’s decision will depend on the state of her treatment at that time.
“But she’s raring to come back. She wants to return, right? As soon as possible,” the counsel said.
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La Viña added that Legarda’s desire to return was “not so much for impeachment” but for her advocacies.
‘No flight’
Legarda has been away since Aug. 2, only a few days after the Office of the Ombudsman announced that she and her son would be subject to a preliminary investigation over P10 billion “ghost” solar power projects.
She has, so far, filed six medical leaves, with her recent extension before the Senate reaching until Oct. 9.
La Viña pushed back against suggestions that Legarda’s continued disappearance was meant to evade the allegations against her.
“There’s no flight here. So there’s no evasion,” he said, adding that there was no warrant of arrest against the senator.
“She’s not running away from anything,” La Viña said, maintaining that Legarda had no connection to her son’s solar business.
He said Legarda was responding to the allegations against her through her lawyers, who had filed their counter-affidavits before the Ombudsman.
According to La Viña, the complainant had also since submitted a response, but he was not privy to its contents.
He said Legarda and Leviste may submit another response before the matter is subjected to resolution, which he said could take 30 to 60 days.
Case against Legarda not part of intimidation
When asked whether Legarda, as a member of the Senate minority, agreed with Sens. Alan and Pia Cayetano’s view that the cases against some senator-judges could be part of pressure on them, La Viña said Legarda does not see it that way.
“I asked her about that, and she said that she does not see it that way. She doesn’t see it that way. This is not about the impeachment,” he maintained.
Instead, the lawyer attributed the controversy involving the mother and son to the Rep. Leviste’s anti-corruption campaign in the House of Representatives.
He said Leviste began encountering problems after raising issues involving contractors and fellow lawmakers.
“Because he obviously ruffled feathers at the House,” La Viña noted.
Legarda on impeachment trial
Meanwhile, La Viña said he believes that Legarda is monitoring the impeachment proceedings, particularly the Senate’s decision on the conviction threshold.
He initially said, per his understanding, Legarda can no longer vote because she had not participated in the trial.
However, when told that Sen. Erwin Tulfo had said in a press briefing on Wednesday that senators who were physically present on voting day could still vote, La Viña said he was unsure which interpretation will ultimately apply.
The impeachment court on Wednesday amended the threshold ruling so the two-thirds needed for conviction will be computed based on senators legally and factually capable of participating at the time of voting, rather than a fixed 16 votes.
Shortly after, Tulfo subsequently clarified that the chamber had not lowered the two-thirds requirement.
He said that senators who will return and are physically present on the day of voting will be allowed to vote, regardless of whether or not they are able to physically attend all or some of the trials.
“So is Loren. When Senator Loren gets better, then she may vote,” Tulfo pointed out.
La Viña then mentioned that he did not know whether Legarda will return in time for the voting.
He observed that the defense had yet to present its case.
The spokesperson estimated that the proceedings can take another 30 days, potentially bringing the voting to November or December.
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“So hopefully, she can already return at that time,” La Viña told the Inquirer. /apl
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