VP impeachment a call of Congress, not the President’s, says Aguirre
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said yesterday the plan to file an impeachment complaint against Vice President Leni Robredo is Congress’ call and not President Duterte’s.
“There will be no change of heart,” said Speaker Pan-
taleon “Bebot” Alvarez, even after the President warned that the impeachment process would not benefit the country.
Alvarez said there is no stopping him to pursue the impeachment of the Vice President, citing the independence of the Legislative from the Executive. Personal opinion Aguirre said the President’s stand that no impeachment complaint should be filed against officials who have served just less than a year “was the President’s personal opinion.”
“That’s the President’s personal opinion. Impeachment involves the power and discretion of Congress, so it will be congressional call and not the President’s call,” Aguirre said.
The justice secretary said he is supporting the impeachment complaint against Robredo on the basis of her video message against the President and his administration on the campaign against illegal drugs.
“She could be impeached if they could prove that her claim (against the war on drugs) has no factual bases and it greatly damaged the country’s image and economy,” he stressed.
Earlier, Solicitor General Jose Calida had said that Speaker Alvarez has basis to file an impeachment complaint against Robredo.
Calida branded as a “treasonous act” Robredo’s video message where she criticized President Duterte on his war against illegal drugs and claimed that over 7,000 persons have died in extrajudicial killings by policemen and vigilantes.
“VP Robredo debased her office and herself by betraying the trust of our people. Worse, she shamelessly pandered to the desperate desire of the Yellow Cult to depose President Duterte which if successful, will immensely benefit her. Obviously, the carping VP Robredo has joined the ranks of the destabilizers,” he said.
Robredo’s video message, posted by the DRCNet Foundation on YouTube last March 13, was played at the “Human Rights Challenge: Responding to Extrajudicial Killings in the Drug War,” a side session for the 60th United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs annual meeting last March 16 at the Vienna International Center. Rubber stamp Alvarez said they are bound to fulfill their constitutional mandate of hearing impeachment complaints, explaining that the Lower Chamber is “not a rubber stamp of Malacañang.”
“We have to do our duty as mandated by the Constitution. Congress is an independent branch of government,” he pointed out.
President Duterte on Saturday reiterated his appeal to his congressional allies to respect the mandate given to him and to the vice president.
Alvarez, secretary general of the Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) assured that the impeachment complaint filed by Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano against President Duterte would not prosper but the ouster complaint against Robredo will gain ground in both House and the Senate.
Alvarez said once the House impeaches Robredo, the Articles of Impeachment will be transmitted to the Senate.
“The ball is in their hands, and once we impeached a public official, we have to see to it that we can successfully prosecute that impeached official,” he said, citing the 11-man House prosecution panel that will be created against Robredo.
Deputy Speaker and Marikina City Rep. Miro Quimbo said instead of pursuing the ouster complaint against Robredo, the Lower Chamber should “focus on the very real problems of poverty and inequality.”
“They are wasting their energy on non-existent threats. Even the President, supposed subject of said imagined desta- bilization plots, rejects the impeachment moves against VP Leni. Let’s hope they heed President Duterte’s call,” he said.
Lawyer Oliver Lozano and Melchor Chavez sought the House leadership’s endorsement of their draft impeachment complaint against Robredo “for culpable violation of the Constitution and/or betrayal of public trust” following her video message sent to the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs.
Dinner
President Duterte has publicly stated that he believes that Robredo has nothing to do with the destabilization plot against him.
Duterte, on Saturday, also confirmed a report by GMA News that he has invited Robredo and her children over for dinner. Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella also confirmed this in a text message Saturday evening but failed to give further comments as they are “not privy to details.”
According to Duterte, these all happened during a short breach of protocol when he asked Robredo to sit beside him during the graduation ceremony at the Philippine National Police Academy last Friday.
The President said they were able to briefly discuss the destabilization moves that Duterte’s allies claim were being plotted by the Liberal Party, and also the impeachment complaints lodged against them.
Duterte said he explained to Robredo that he had nothing to do with the bid of his allies, particularly Speaker Alvarez, to impeach her.
“She [Robredo] mentioned about [the destabilization issues], sabi niya, ‘wala ako diyan, ha (I have nothing to do with that),’” he recalled.
“Sabi ko (I told her), ‘I believe you’ and sabi ko (added), ‘Leni, left and right kasi ang intriga but ako [hindi ako] kasali diyan sa impeachment [moves] (the intrigues are all around but I have nothing to do with the impeachment moves),’” he added. (With a report from Argyll Cyrus B. Geducos)