Press officer Claire Castro 鈥擯hoto from the Presidential Communications Office
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� The Senate majority 鈥� not just the Senate president 鈥� may proceed with sending a letter requesting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to order convening a special session for Vice President Sara Duterte鈥檚 impeachment trial.
Press officer Claire Castro made the pronouncement amid a deadlock between Marcos and聽 Senate President Francis 鈥淐hiz鈥� Escudero, who both insist that the directive to conduct a special session should come from the other.
READ: Palace: 鈥楢wkward鈥� for Marcos to call for session on Duterte impeachment
鈥淪iguro kung majority ang gusto na umpisahan na ang impeachment trial, mas maganda sila ang makipag ugnayan sa Pangulo. Sila ang sumulat. Sila ang mag-request kahit hindi kumikilos ang Senate President,鈥� suggested Castro.
She made the statement in a Radyo 630 interview when asked about the same recommendation made by Manila Third District Rep. Joel Chua.
(Maybe if the majority wants the impeachment trial to begin, it will be better for them to contact the president. They can write. They can make a request even if the Senate president will not act.)
鈥淜asi kung majority naman ang nagnanais nang ituloy ito, hindi naman dapat na iisang tao lang ang magde-decide nito鈥攁ng Senate president,鈥� she noted.
(Because if the majority wants to continue this, it shouldn鈥檛 be just one person who decides this鈥攖he Senate president.)
鈥淢aaari silang humingi at mag request sa pangulo ng special session kung meron silang majority na matatatawag,鈥� she suggested.
(They can ask and request the president for a special session if they have the majority calling for it.)
Asked who could initiate the letter to Marcos, Castro鈥攚ho at this point separated herself as a lawyer from her government post鈥攕uggested that Senate Minority Leader Aquilino 鈥淜oko鈥� Pimentel can do so.
This is because it was also Pimentel who wrote a letter to Escudero to immediately act on the impeachment complaint filed against Duterte.
READ: Pimentel tells Escudero: Acting fast on Duterte鈥檚 impeachment is Senate duty
Castro then said that Marcos may accept the letter, as it still conforms to his previous statement that he would wait for a letter of request from the Senate to conduct a special session before calling one himself.
鈥淚tatanong natin dahil sinabi naman nya na 鈥榩ag humiling ang Senado na magpatawag ng special session, 鈥榶un naman ay kanyang tutugunan. So tingnan natin. Maaari po dahil 鈥榶an naman ang sinabi ng Pangulo,鈥� she said.
(We will ask because he said that if the Senate requests to call a special session, he will respond to that. So let鈥檚 see. It is possible because that is what the president said.)
Duterte was impeached at the House of Representatives level on February 5.
A petition blocking the impeachment move was submitted by the vice president before the Supreme Court on Feb. 18.
READ: VP Sara Duterte files petition at SC to stop impeachment moves against her