Panelo says public won鈥檛 benefit from VP Duterte’s impeachment
MANILA, Philippines — Whether or not Vice President Sara Duterte faces impeachment complaints, the public will not benefit from them, former chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo said on Friday.
Panelo reasoned that the ones in power only attend to their interests.
“May impeachment, walang nangyayari. May impeachment o wala, ‘di nakikinabang ang taumbayan dahil ang interes ng mga nasa kapangyarihan ang inaasikaso nila,” Panelo said in a forum in San Juan city.
(With or without impeachment, nothing changes. Whether there’s an impeachment or not, the people don’t benefit because those in power only look after their own interests.)
Furthermore, when asked if Duterte is still fit to be part of the government, Panelo answered, “Definitely.”
Representatives from civil society organizations filed two impeachment complaints against Duterte, endorsed by Akbayan Rep. Percival Cendaña and Makabayan bloc lawmakers Rep. France Castro, Rep. Raoul Manuel, and Rep. Arlene Brosas.
Article continues after this advertisementThe complaints stemmed from grounds such as betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, bribery, and other high crimes.
Article continues after this advertisementREAD: Makabayan willing to work with Akbayan on VP Duterte’s impeachment
Panelo also described the impeachment moves as a “political agenda,” emphasizing that “all the forces against the Dutertes will combine whether you like it or not.”
When asked if the Duterte camp was in talks with other senators to secure the Vice President’s acquittal should the impeachment charges reach the Senate, Panelo said there were no plans.
“Do your worst, and we’ll do our best. ‘Di sila natitinag (They are unfazed),” he added.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. previously said that he ordered Congress not to file any impeachment rap against Duterte, adding that it was unimportant and would not make any difference to Filipinos’ lives.
READ: Marcos says he ordered impeachment moves vs VP Sara Duterte stopped
Previous House hearings investigated the alleged misuse of the confidential funds allocated to the Office of the Vice President (OVP).
A House probe found that the OVP and the Department of Education submitted about 4,500 acknowledgment receipts to the Commission on Audit to explain how they used the P612.5 million confidential funds.
Furthermore, the name “Mary Grace Piattos” surfaced during the investigation of the House panel on good government and public accountability. She was supposedly the one who signed acknowledgment receipts as part of the liquidation reports referring to the P23.8 million confidential funds covered by 158 receipts.
The Philippine Statistics Authority recently confirmed there was no one named Mary Grace Piattos in their live birth and death registry.
READ: Solons: Mary Grace Piattos being fake has serious implications for OVP
