Palace challenges claims of Marcos meddling in Sara Duterte impeachment

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Friday challenged senator-judges who supposedly claimed that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was interfering in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte to substantiate their allegations.

At a briefing in Batac City, Ilocos Norte, Palace press officer Claire Castro was asked to give the Marcos administration’s assurance that it was not influencing the senator-judges in the proceedings after some of them allegedly accused Marcos of doing so.

READ: Sara Duterte trial: Impeachment court amends threshold ruling

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“Dapat nila munang patunayan kung totoong nakikialam dahil kung ito ay haka-haka lang nila ginagawa lamang nila itong intriga, binibigyan lamang ng negatibong impresyon ang Pangulo, ang administrasyon ay hindi po ito dapat sinasagot,” she responded.

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(They should first prove whether there is really any interference. If it is merely speculation on their part, then they are only creating intrigue and giving the President a negative impression. The administration should not respond to this.)

“Patunayan ninyo po muna iyan bago kayo magsalita, dahil hindi po namin maaaring sabihin, hindi kami nakikialam o kami nakikialam kung wala kayong ipapakitang ebidensiya,” she also said.

(Please prove that first before making such statements, because we cannot simply say that we are or are not interfering when you have not presented any evidence.)

Meanwhile, Castro also commented on the petition filed by former Executive Secretary Victor Rodriguez before the Supreme Court (SC), seeking to nullify a recent Senate Impeachment Tribunal ruling that modified the minimum number of votes required to convict an impeached official.

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READ: Senate’s new impeachment voting threshold challenged at Supreme Court

In a 23-page Petition for Certiorari and Prohibition filed by Rodriguez on Sept. 24, he asserted that the chamber’s ruling had unlawfully rewritten the 1987 Constitution.

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This comes after members of the Senate Impeachment Court, a day before the filing, voted 13-1 to uphold an appeal filed by Senator-Judge Erwin Tulfo on Sept. 8. 

The decision reversed a July 6 ruling by Presiding Officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero, which had set the conviction threshold at 16 votes based on the full 24-member Senate.

Under the newly adopted rule, the constitutionally required two-thirds vote for conviction will be based only on senators who remain legally and factually capable of participating in the impeachment proceedings at the time of voting.

Similar to her response to allegations of interference in the impeachment process, Castro said the Executive Department was keeping its hands off the issue and that Malacañang would respect whatever decision the SC reaches on the petition.

“Kung ano ang desisyon ng Supreme Court ito ang dapat na sinusunod. So, sa ngayon kung anong magiging desisyon ng Supreme Court dapat tuparin, dapat igalang hindi lang sa panahon ngayon kung hindi sa mga susunod na henerasyon,” she said.

(Whatever decision the Supreme Court makes is what should be followed. So, whatever decision the Supreme Court reaches should be carried out and respected, not only now but also by future generations.)

“Maliban lamang kung maaabandona ang kanilang magiging desisyon at magkakaroon ng panibagong tema o panibagong paniniwala at opinyon at jurisprudence or rather decision na siyang magiging bagong jurisprudence,” she continued.

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(Except if their decision is later abandoned and a new principle, belief, opinion, or decision is established, which would then become the new jurisprudence.) /mr