Duterte allies’ impeach raps ‘baseless’–Palace
Malacañang on Friday described as “baseless” the charges in the impeachment complaint that former National Youth Commission Chair Ronald Cardema and his wife Ducielle tried to file against President Marcos.
The Cardema couple tried to file complaint against Mr. Marcos for allowing former President Rodrigo Duterte’s “illegal arrest and transfer” to The Hague.
“It’s their right if they want to file that. But we maintain that this complaint is baseless,” Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace press officer Claire Castro said in a press briefing on Friday.
On Thursday, the Cardema couple, who both served as lawmakers of the Duterte Youth party list group, tried but failed to file the impeachment complaint before the office of House Secretary General Reginald Velasco.
The spouses said the complaint would have been endorsed by Ronald’s sister, Duterte Youth Rep. Drixie Mae Cardema, but Velasco’s office was closed from May 6 to May 8 due to a strategic planning session and that they will resume work on May 13.
The 24-page complaint alleged that the President committed culpable violation of the 1987 Constitution and betrayed public trust by allowing Duterte to be arrested by the Interpol even if the Philippines is no longer part of the International Criminal Court.
First attempt
This is the first impeachment complaint against Mr. Marcos since his fallout with Duterte’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, who herself will be facing an impeachment trial once Congress resumes session in July.
Castro maintained that the President’s action in allowing the government to cooperate with the Interpol to serve the ICC arrest warrant was lawful.
“If there was any personal interest at play here, will the government refuse to follow the law or not honor its commitment to the Interpol when it comes to persons accused of committing crimes against humanity?” she asked.
The 80-year-old former president was arrested by virtue of the ICC’s arrest warrant over his bloody war on illegal drugs and his alleged crimes against humanity.
Duterte was flown to The Hague on the same day. He is still detained at The Hague while waiting for his confirmation of charges hearing on Sept. 23.
Little support
Members of the administration electoral alliance Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas on Friday likewise dismissed the attempt of Duterte’s supporters to unseat the President as “baseless,” saying it was a last-ditch effort to influence Monday’s midterm elections.
“I don’t see any basis [to impeach the President] because the Constitution is very clear on what may be considered as impeachable offenses,” former Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who is seeking a fourth six-year term as senator, told a press briefing.
“Where’s the culpable violation of the Constitution with what he did? I’m not defending the President, but the act itself of filing an impeachment complaint has no basis and you can clearly see that the motive is politics,” he said.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III, one of the Alyansa bets who had consistently topped various pre-election surveys, said any initiative to impeach Mr. Marcos would not prosper at this point.
“There’s no more time for it,” said Sotto, noting that the 19th Congress will only have six session days when it resumes its regular plenary session on June 2.
“Obviously, this is connected with the elections. They are just trying to besmirch [the administration],” he said.
According to Sotto, those trying to impeach the President should better wait until a new set of lawmakers take their oath as part of the 20th Congress in July.
Another Alyansa candidate, ACT-CIS Rep. Erwin Tulfo, said it would just be a waste of time and effort to pursue a complaint against an impeachable government official without citing strong grounds for such action.
