Palace: No talks on Sara Duterte replacement yet ‘out of respect’

MANILA, Philippines —  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has yet to discuss a replacement for Vice President Sara Duterte in the event of her conviction in the impeachment trial, out of respect for her position, Palace press officer Claire Castro said on Thursday.

There have been circulating reports that House Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III is poised to become the next vice president should Duterte be convicted.

READ: Pulse Asia survey: Sara Duterte retains majority approval and trust

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At a briefing, Castro said the matter has not come up in her discussions with Marcos.

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“In fairness at pagrespeto na sa posisyon ng bise presidente, hindi po ito pag-uusapan at hindi pa po ito napag-uusapan. Hayaan nating gumulong ang proseso,” she said when asked for confirmation on the rumor.

(In fairness and out of respect for the Vice President’s position, this will not be discussed and has not been discussed. Let us allow the process to take its course.)

“Respeto nalang kahit paminsan-minsan ay hindi nagbibigay ng respeto ang iba pero ang Pangulo nirerespeto ang desisyon ng posisyon ng bise presidente,” the Palace official also said.

(Out of respect, even if others sometimes do not show respect, the President respects the decision of the Vice President regarding her position.)

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Castro stressed that it was too early to speculate on Duterte’s possible replacement, as her defense team has yet to present its evidence.

“Wala pa pong conviction. Hindi tayo pwedeng mag-anticipate, hindi tayo pwedeng magspeculate dahil ang defense ay magpepresenta pa po ng kanilang ebidenya,” she said.

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(There has been no conviction yet. We cannot anticipate or speculate because the defense has yet to present its evidence.)

“So wala pa pong nangyayaring pagdedesisyon ang impeachment court, so hindi po ito napag-uusapan,” Castro also said.

(Since the impeachment court has yet to make a decision, this has not been discussed.)

On Tuesday, the Senate impeachment court allowed the House prosecution panel to withdraw three of the four articles of impeachment against Duterte, leaving allegations of unexplained wealth and nondisclosure of assets as the sole remaining basis for the trial.

The withdrawn articles covered alleged misuse of confidential funds, bribery, an assassination plot, grave threats, and inciting to sedition. 

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Duterte’s defense team is scheduled to start presenting its evidence on Nov. 9. The team, represented by spokesperson Atty. Michael Poa has lined up over 90 potential witnesses for their presentation. /mr