Former Sen. Gringo Honasan and host lawyer Siegfred Mison. —Photo from the Facebook page of The Agenda Forum.
MANILA, Philippines — A revolt to oust Vice President Sara Duterte akin to the 1986 People Power uprising would “damage institutions,” former Sen. Gringo Honasan said at The Agenda Forum at Club Filipino in San Juan City on Friday.
The forum was hosted by lawyer Siegfred Mison.
Duterte was impeached by the House of Representatives last Feb. 5, but a trial in the Senate is set for after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address in July, according to Senate President Francis Escudero.
A reporter at the forum asked Honasan if a revolt was possible to remove the vice president, to which Honasan replied: “Whenever we run out of patience, right? We take it to the streets. So what happens to our institutions? And the damage to our institutions, to my mind, is becoming unmanageable,” Honasan said in a mix of English and Filipino.
“We are becoming very, very unpredictable and unstable… So which investors will put their stake here with us in the long term if we are unpredictable and unstable tayo?” he added.
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Honasan was among the key figures behind the 1986 Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (Edsa) Revolution that overthrew the incumbent Marcos’ father and namesake, President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
“It doesn’t have to reach that point. That’s why, while it’s still early, let’s come together, have political will, and fix our actual problems — not only the problems stained by politics,” he said.
READ: VP Sara Duterte impeachment trial starts after Sona – Escudero
The former senator said the impeachment process would not unite the country and that the electorate “should be listening to platforms and programs from the candidates at the local and national level” instead in the lead-up to the May 2025 midterm polls.
“Do we really have time and do we have the resources to spare to go through this process?” Honasan said.