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Friday, March 29, 2024

Palace men at odds over oust-Leni move

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ANY move to impeach Vice President Leni Robredo would only derail the work of Congress in passing important legislative measures, the Palace said Monday. 

“If they concentrate on that, their concerns on other measures, which are probably more important than impeachment, will be affected,” Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo told reporters in an interview. 

The Palace, however, would not interfere with the plan of Congress to impeach Robredo over grounds that she betrayed the public trust by attacking the government in a message to the annual meeting of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Austria. 

“If they feel that impeachment is a priority, they will concentrate on that. If they feel that priority is on measures that should be responded to, in relation to the needs of the country, then, they will make that a priority,” Panelo said. 

“Those who initiated it must have their reasons for filing the same,” he added.

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Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo

President Rodrigo Duterte has asked his allies to back off, but two of his Cabinet members—Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II and Solicitor General Jose Calida—have vowed to support an impeachment case against Robredo, accusing her of treason.

Panelo said Aguirre’s actions were based on his “personal stand” and does not affect Duterte’s own conviction about Robredo. 

“As far as the President is concerned, he already asked those behind the initiation to lay off, to stop it. It’s a different branch of the government. It’s independent body,” he said. 

Despite the President’s call, House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, asserting the independence of Congress,  said he would pursue Robredo’s impeachment.

Senator JV Ejercito on Monday opposed any plan to impeach either President Rodrigo Duterte or Robredo, saying this would not be good for the country.

“I am supporter of the President but I am against any impeachment,” said Ejercito, during Monday’s  “Samahang Plaridel, Kapihan sa Manila Hotel” media forum.

“I would rather have stability. It [impeachment] will really create political instability. Our economy will not develop. It cannot reach the full potential. It’s a waste,” said Ejercito. 

“We have been a divided nation for so long. Maybe in the next five years, maybe we can unite,” he said. 

Also on Monday, Senator Panfilo Lacson twitted Senator Antonio Trillanes IV for cautioning Vice President Leni Robredo against accepting a dinner invitation from President Rodrigo Duterte because it was “a trap” to neutralize her politically.

“I’d rather see our President and VP working together, not quarreling,” Lacson said on Twitter.

Trillanes, a staunch critic of Duterte, said the President had used the same tactic to offer Robredo a Cabinet post belatedly, only to dump her when it was politically convenient. 

Trillanes, meanwhile, said Duterte’s call to his allies was just a pretense, saying he was playing the role of “the good cop,” while his allies pursued his goal to oust Robredo as “the bad cop.”

“Be careful believing President Duterte. He is two-faced. This is all staged. You shouldn’t be fooled because we can see through him,” Trillanes said.

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