Vice President Sara Duterte is prepared to face an impeachment trial if it comes to that — but her office says a Supreme Court decision to junk the complaint could spare the country millions in public funds.
“The Vice President is ready, she’s been saying that. And she’s eager to be able to present her case or her evidence in the impeachment court so that once and for all, all doubts cast on her will go away. And that’s what she wants,” said Ruth Castelo, spokesperson for the Office of the Vice President (OVP), in a press conference Wednesday in Mandaluyong City.
However, Castelo pointed out that if the Supreme Court finds the impeachment complaint “technically defective,” it would be a welcome development — not just legally, but fiscally.
“If the Supreme Court says there is no need because it should be dismissed for technical reasons or whatever reason that the court gives, if it’s for the impeachment trial, that is fine, the Vice President is ready,” Castelo said.
“If it’s not, if the Supreme Court says it cannot be heard at this time, then we’ll be very lucky actually as a country because we’ll save millions and millions of pesos on the trial that is technically defective from the beginning,” she added.
Castelo’s remarks came in response to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showing that 66 percent of Filipinos believe Duterte should undergo the impeachment trial to respond to corruption allegations. Nineteen percent disagreed, while 15 percent were undecided.
While reaffirming Duterte’s readiness to defend herself, Castelo said her legal team is pursuing all possible remedies.
“So in this case, the lawyers of the Vice President are taking legal remedies, legal strategies that are allowable in our system. So we’ll wait,” she said.
Castelo also dismissed criticism that a vice president is merely a “spare tire” in government, saying the position carries weight and responsibility, especially in times of crisis.
“The mandate of the Vice President is the same as the mandate of the President. Everything stated in the Constitution as part of the President’s duties also applies to the Vice President. She is technically the assistant or when the President is absent, she takes over because she’s the Vice President,” she said.