VICE President Sara Duterte said many legislators were making a profit by approving the articles of her impeachment once they are submitted to the House of Representatives’ plenary.
Without naming names, Duterte said the lawmakers were receiving money for signing the impeachment articles.
Between 180 and 210 members of the House are said to have manifested their intent to sign the articles when it reaches the plenary on May 11.
Speaking to blogger Alvin Zarzate at The Hague on Thursday (early Friday morning in Manila) after visiting her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, the vice president was asked her views on the boast of several lawmakers that more than 106 of them will vote to impeach her.
“So, a lot of people are profiting by using my name. I hope their constituents finally get a share of the money inside their pockets and their suitcases.” Duterte said in Filipino and Bisaya.
She also criticized the issuance of subpoenas to prominent pro-Duterte commentators including Jay Sonza and Jeffrey “Ka Eric” Celiz, calling the government “sensitive” and “insecure” to their criticisms.
Duterte urged the Marcos government to focus instead on making the country peaceful and progressive.
In a related development, the lawyers of Duterte’s husband, Manases Carpio, said the court petition they filed does not seek to restrain the impeachment proceedings, but prevents the unauthorized disclosure of confidential tax records by the House Committee on Justice and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
The Quezon City Regional Trial Court junked Carpio’s petition for “lack of jurisdiction.”
In a statement, Carpil’s legal team said the junked petition seeks to “enjoin the Bureau of Internal Revenue from producing, releasing, or transmitting our client’s alleged Annual Tax Returns (ATRs/ITRs), which are protected by confidentiality provisions under existing tax laws.”
“With the subsequent decision of both the BIR and the House Committee on Justice (HCOJ) not to open the sealed box allegedly containing the ATRs, it appears that the relief sought by our clients was effectively recognized in practice,” Carpio’s lawyers said.
They also said that the actions decided by the HCOJ and the BIR themselves “demonstrate that what Carpio prayed for before the court was just, legal and constitutional.”
On Friday, Malacañang Press Officer Claire Castro hit back at the vice president after she criticized President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s handling of unemployment and the economy.
Speaking to reporters in Cebu City, Castro said Duterte appeared to be “behind” on current events and government programs.
“Maybe she talks that way because she is too behind,” Castro said. “The brain operates on a use-it-or-lose-it principle.”
Duterte slammed Castro for what she described as a “papansin” attitude, which she said has brought “embarrassment” to the Philippines.
In response, Castro said Duterte’s comment may have stemmed from her lack of familiarity with digital tools.
