President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said the timing of the impeachment moves against the Vice President was “very poor” given the looming campaign season.
Mr. Marcos, however, acknowledged the legal insight of his chief legal counsel, Juan Ponce Enrile, that junking the impeachment based solely on the position of one group would be a “very detrimental precedent.”
“JPE [Enrile] is one of our best legal thinkers in the country, and he is right—there is a consequence, and there will be a precedent, and it will be very problematic,” the President said.
“But I still think even if Congress is mandated — the House and Senate do not have a choice once these impeachment complaints are filed — I don’t think now is the time to do that. And besides, as a practical matter, we are entering the campaign period.”
“There are no congressmen, no senators because they are already campaigning. We will not be able to form a quorum. The timing is very poor,” Mr. Marcos added.
Enrile, in a Facebook post Thursday, said the country may face a “very detrimental precedent” if it follows the reasoning implied in the Iglesia Ni Cristo rally in support of Mr. Marcos’ opposition to impeachment moves against Vice President Sara Duterte.
“There is a bigger question. Can the INC with all its members amend the Constitution or suspend any of its provisions? Are we prepared to discard or sacrifice the value of rule of law for a person or a group of persons?” Enrile said.
“Are we prepared and ready to face the long-term consequences of that INC move?” he added.
Enrile said the impeachment was “just a constitutional legal process” to remove a government official from office, if there is a ground and evidence to support it.
Duterte is facing three impeachment complaints before the House of Representatives for alleged violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, plunder and malversation, bribery, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.
In November last year, Mr. Marcos said filing an impeachment complaint against Duterte will only distract the government from the real work of the government “which is to improve the lives of all Filipinos.”
The President said the move to impeach Duterte is just a waste of time, as “none of this will help improve a single Filipino life.”
Earlier, Akbayan party-list Rep. Perci Cendaña, an endorser of the first impeachment complaint against Duterte, urged the House to uphold its integrity and move forward with the proceedings.
Cendaña made the call during the “Misa ng Sambayanan: May Kapayapaan kung May Katarungan” attended by sectoral and religious groups at the EDSA Shrine Church on Thursday.
“If we want peace, we must first achieve justice,” Cendaña said.
Cendaña warned that inaction on the impeachment complaints not only delays justice but also “allows Duterte to undermine the country’s laws.”
“Ending impunity in the country should be the House leadership’s moral obligation,” he said.