Sara Duterte impeachment: ‘dangerous’ to dawdle on Senate trial of Philippine VP

The country could become politically unstable if the Philippine Senate takes its time on an impeachment trial of Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio, observers have warned as Manila’s House of Representatives moves to cement the bid. The daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte was impeached by the lower legislature after two-thirds of the chamber filed a “verified impeachment resolution” on Wednesday. The resolution was signed by 215 out of 306 congressmen. The first signatory on the resolution was senior deputy majority leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos III, the eldest son of President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr. Others included Congresswoman Yedda Romualdez, wife of House Speaker Martin Romualdez, the president’s cousin. With Speaker Romualdez presiding on the session floor, the House took less than seven minutes to formally declare Duterte-Carpio “impeached”. She is the third high-ranked official and the first vice-president to be impeached by the House. The Articles of Impeachment submitted to the Senate accuse her of: misusing of 612.5 million pesos (US$10.6 million) worth of “confidential and intelligence funds” in the Office of the Vice-President and as education minister; threatening to have the president, his wife and the House Speaker assassinated; bribery of education officials and misuse of department funds; unexplained wealth; endorsing extrajudicial killings of drug suspects while mayor of Davao City; and attempting to destabilise the government. House Secretary General Reginald Velasco reminded the body that under the 1987 Philippine Constitution, only a third or 102 congressmen were needed to declare a high government official “impeached”. When this number is achieved, the “verified impeachment resolution” turns into the “Articles of Impeachment” and is automatically transmitted to the Senate for an impeachment trial, he said. Duterte-Carpio’s older brother, Congressman Paolo Duterte, later issued a statement warning: “This administration is treading on dangerous ground … I am appalled and enraged by the desperate and politically motivated efforts to railroad the impeachment.” A highly placed source in the Senate told This Week in Asia on Wednesday that it was still “business as usual” in the Senate, with senators trying to pass bills on their last session day before taking a break of four months for the national elections in May. The Senate source pointed out that “if it’s urgent”, the Senate President might be able to call his fellow senators to come together and conduct the trial. However, the source later noted that the complaint arrived while sessions were ongoing, but senators adjourned without addressing the impeachment complaint on the floor, even though they had the power to do so. On Thursday, Senate President Francis Escudero told reporters that senators would not reconvene itself into an impeachment court until June 2, when sessions resume, for two reasons. First, that was the decision of the majority of senators. Second, he said that legally, “it cannot be done”. The same Senate source underscored the urgency of holding a trial soon: “If the Senate does not hold an impeachment trial between now and June 2 when Congress resumes, this could create political instability.” Former congressman Barry Gutierrez, a criminal law professor at the University of the Philippines, said: “The Senate can choose to hold the trial immediately – the impeachment court is a body distinct from the Senate as a legislative assembly so it is not bound to follow the legislative calendar – or can kick it down the road even to after the [midterm elections in May].” However, he told This Week in Asia that “while the Constitution itself does not provide for a time frame for the impeachment trial, I do agree that leaving it hanging for four months is not ideal”. Gutierrez, who used to be the spokesman of Vice-President Leni Robredo, also pointed out: “VP Sara is facing serious allegations involving abuse of office and corruption – which, if proven true, clearly render her unfit for high office. “Considering that she is our second-highest elected official, and is a heartbeat away from the presidency, can we really afford to put the resolution of these serious charges on hold for months? I don’t think so.” Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV also told This Week in Asia he agreed any delays to the trial could “cause political instability”. “The impact of the Sara impeachment trial on the Senate elections is immense. Once the public is made aware of crimes she has committed, then for sure the whole Duterte ticket suffers,” Trillanes, who has been physically threatened before by Duterte-Carpio, suggested. He also noted the 215 congressmen who endorsed the impeachment were likely to provide “ample ground-level political machinery in many areas, including Mindanao”, in the southern Philippines, where the Dutertes still have a strong following. In a since-deleted social media post, a congressman from Mindanao profusely thanked Speaker Romualdez for the surprise “ayuda” (financial assistance) his office had received for his constituents after voting “yes” to impeach his former political ally Duterte-Carpio. The vice-president has not issued any statement as of press time. But earlier, she declared she would welcome an impeachment trial where she could finally answer charges. Her father, the former president, previously announced that he is ready to act as his daughter’s defence counsel while also urging the military to turn against the president.

Sara Duterte impeachment: ‘dangerous’ to dawdle on Senate trial of Philippine VP

The country’s Senate has entered a four-month recess and its president insists members cannot be called back for a trial