Makabayan solons ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro and incoming Rep. Antonio Tinio castigated Senator Imee Marcos for unilaterally declaring that the impeachment bid against Vice President Sara Duterte had been "defeated".
Castro took a swipe at both Marcos and Duterte, whom she claimed had something in common.
"Ito ang hirap sa mga taong hindi sanay na pinapanagot sa mga kasalanan sa bayan tulad ni Senator Marcos at VP Duterte (This is the problem with people like Senator Marcos and VP Duterte who are not used to being held accountable for their wrongdoings against the nation)," said Castro, a deputy minority leader in the 19th Congress.
"Kaya dapat na talagang masimulan na ng maayos ang impeachment at mapanagot si VP Duterte. Kung hindi, uulitin lang niya iyan at mas malaking halaga pa ang mawawala. Gagayahin din siya ng iba pang pulitiko," she said.
(The impeachment process must be initiated properly, and VP Duterte must be held accountable. If not, she will just do it again, and even biggercamounts will be lost. Other politicians will also follow her lead.)
Tinio, who will return to being a congressman in the upcoming 20th Congress, echoed Castro’s sentiments, and stated that dismissive attitudes toward accountability set a dangerous precedent for government officials.
"Paano na ang katarungan at accountability sa mamamayan kapag ganito ang mga namumuno? Limpak-limpak na pera ang di mapaliwanag saan ginastos at kung ano ang ginawa, tapos ok lang sa kanila," he said.
(What will happen to justice and accountability for the people if this is the kind of leadership we have? Huge amounts of money remain unaccounted for, with no explanation of how it was spent or what it was used for, yet they think this is acceptable.)
Over the weekend, Senator Marcos was quoted as telling pro-impeachment solons, "Tanggapin niyo na, talo na ang impeachment. ‘Yun lang ‘yun. Kahit ngayon, kahit sa Hulyo pa, talo na.”
(Just accept it, the impeachment has been defeated. That's it. It will be defeated if we start now, or even in July.)
The recently reelected lady senator had this to say amid the jump in the number of Vice President Duterte's perceived allies in the Senate following the 2025 mid-term polls. The senators will serve as judges in the impeachment trial.
The militant solons said that Senator Marcos' remarks were meant to downplay the gravity of the allegations against and divert public attention.
"Ang pagsasabing 'talo na ang impeachment' ay malinaw na pamamaraan ng pagpapalaganap ng kawalang pananagutan. Hindi dapat hinahayaan ang ganitong mindset sa pamahalaan," Tinio said.
(Declaring that ‘the impeachment is already defeated ’ is clearly a tactic to propagate impunity. This kind of mindset should not be tolerated in government.)
The duo underscored the urgency of proceeding with the impeachment process to ensure that Vice President Duterte is held accountable for the alleged misuse of confidential funds.