MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte’s camp on Thursday called discussions about possible replacements for her premature and a distraction from questions over the fairness and legality of her impeachment trial.
“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,” the camp said in a statement issued by spokesman Salvador Paolo A. Panelo Jr.
The camp questioned the impartiality of senators sitting as impeachment court members who face or are threatened with plunder and other criminal charges, as well as the constitutionality of lowering the threshold for conviction.
It also accused the court of violating due process by denying Duterte a fair opportunity to refute Articles I and IV before prosecutors withdrew them, and criticized the Senate majority for its lack of outrage over what it described as a waste of time and public funds.
Panelo cited a Social Weather Stations survey showing that only 28 percent of Filipinos trusted the Senate Impeachment Court to render a fair judgment, with a net trust rating of -7 percent.
He argued that replacing Duterte would not address the country’s pressing concerns, citing inflation, the worsening Super El Niño threat to food security, economic growth slowing to 2.3 percent and the peso’s decline 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,” Panelo said.
