Talks to replace VP Sara Duterte amid impeachment trial 'premature' -spox - GMA Network
Discussions on possible replacements for Vice President Sara Duterte are premature and a distraction from serious issues surrounding the impeachment trial, her spokesperson said Thursday.
In a statement, Duterte's spokesperson Atty. Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr. said the focus should be on questions involving the fairness of the Senate impeachment court, the constitutionality of the conviction threshold, and alleged due process violations.
“These issues raise grave doubts as to whether a conviction by the Senate impeachment court, and any consequent attempt to install a replacement, would rest on any solid legal and moral foundation,” he said.
Panelo raised concerns about the impartiality of senators serving as impeachment court judges, particularly those facing or allegedly threatened with plunder and other criminal charges.
Citing a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted from September 21 to 27, Panelo said only 28% of Filipinos trust the Senate impeachment court to render a fair judgment, with a net trust rating of -7%.
He questioned again the Senate majority's response to the prosecution's withdrawal of certain impeachment articles, saying the move resulted in a waste of time and public funds.
For him, Duterte was also allegedly deprived of a fair opportunity to refute Articles I and IV of the impeachment complaint.
Panelo said that replacing the Vice President will not solve the country’s most urgent crises like soaring inflation, the worsening Super El Niño which threatens food security, the sharp slowdown in economic growth to a post-pandemic low of 2.3%, and the peso’s daily plunge to record lows.
"The impeachment has only made clear how this administration and its allies prioritize political maneuvering over the issues that matter most to ordinary Filipinos: putting food on the table, keeping the economy afloat, and securing the nation’s future'" Panelo said.
GMA News Online has reached out to Malacañang and Senate for comment and will publish their statements once available.
Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro earlier said President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has not discussed or considered a replacement for the Vice President.
Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano earlier urged fellow senators to decline any potential offers for the vice presidency should Duterte be convicted.
Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero previously declared he would refuse the post due to a conflict of interest as a senator-judge.
Under the Constitution, if the vice presidency becomes vacant, the President nominates a new Vice President who must then be confirmed by a majority vote of both houses of Congress.—AOL, GMA News
