Makabayan slams VP Sara's petition to block impeachment case
At A Glance
- Personalities under the Makabayan bloc have chided Vice President Sara Duterte for asking the Supreme Court (SC) to stop her impeachment, mere weeks after she declared readiness to face her case.
Personalities under the Makabayan bloc have chided Vice President Sara Duterte for asking the Supreme Court (SC) to stop her impeachment, mere weeks after she declared readiness to face her case.
They condemned Duterte's move of filing a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) request before the SC on the impeachment complaint that had been signed by over a third of all House members.
"This action is not only premature but also a blatant evasion of accountability," they said.
Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas couldn't help but bring out the Vice President's earlier pronouncement about being ready for the impeachment.
"Whatever happened to her earlier statement welcoming the impeachment and preparing her defense team?" she asked.
"It is evident now that she is backtracking on her words. Hindi lang ito tungkol sa kanyang pagtanggi sa accountability, kundi pati sa kanyang mga salita," Brosas added.
Former Bayan Muna Party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares was also puzzled as the impeached official "previously declared that she welcomes the impeachment case filed against her so she can finally answer the accusations against her, but her tone has changed".
"Her filing a petition to stop the impeachment proceedings is not only another usual Duterte turnaround, but also an effort to escape accountability for her failure to explain where at least P125 million given her went," Colmenares said.
Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel said he was disappointed "to see the Vice President attempting to hinder the process instead of embracing it as an opportunity to defend herself, as she claimed she was ready to do".
"She is deceiving and confusing the few supporters she has left," he added.
For ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro, Duterte's move is "a clear indication of her refusal to face the charges against her at the appropriate venue".
"The appropriate venue is the impeachment court, not the Supreme Court. By resorting to legal maneuvers, she is reinforcing a troubling pattern of avoiding accountability," she said.
The Makabayan bloc demanded that due process be upheld and that the impeachment trial proceed accordingly.
They called on the SC "to reject any attempts to derail this constitutionally mandated process and ensure that accountability is upheld."