Drop Sara impeach bid, Bayan urged

Presidential Adviser on Poverty Alleviation Secretary Larry Gadon urged the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) on Tuesday to reconsider their plan to file impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte.

“My unsolicited suggestion to Bagong Alyansang Makabayan is to set aside plans for the impeachment of VP Sara Duterte. While they may believe there are sufficient grounds for impeachment, there’s no time left,” Gadon said.

He said that with the election season approaching there wouldn’t be time to pursue an impeachment.

“In a few days, it’s election season; in a few days, the filing of candidacies begins, and in a few weeks, it will be December, then there will be a recess. A few weeks after that, sessions will resume in January, and there will be another recess for the campaign period, followed by adjournment,” Gadon pointed out.

He said his call also applied to the members of Senate who may be planning to support the move.

“The congressmen and half of the Senate will be busy campaigning, so there is no time for impeachment proceedings to take its full motion,” Gadon said.

Bayan had said that filing an impeachment complaint against the Vice President was “necessary” to hold her accountable for allegations of fund misuse.

In a statement, Bayan secretary general Mong Palatino said Duterte’s refusal to answer questions on the Office of the Vice President’s use of its confidential funds during budget deliberations may be the basis for an impeachment complaint to be filed against her.