Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson on Sunday stirred fresh intrigue in the looming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte when he quipped that Senator Rodante Marcoleta could “join her defense team.”
The jab came with an edge: If Marcoleta can “lawyer” for Duterte, would Lacson himself end up acting as a de facto prosecutor?
On Saturday, Lacson bristled at former presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo’s claim that he and several senators appear predisposed to convict Duterte.
Lacson called Panelo ungas (dumb) over the latter’s observation of the senator’s supposed “anti-Duterte” bias. In response, Panelo said Lacson’s reliance on “insult and personal attack is a mark of idiocy” (See related story).
Turning on Marcoleta, Lacson warned that the latter may try to question the legal basis of the impeachment process but stressed that the Constitution leaves no room for maneuvering.
“The answer to Marcoleta’s threat lies in one word: Constitution,” Lacson said. “It depends on how he will present his arguments. If needed, he may be told to join the defense team.”
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson on Sunday stirred fresh intrigue in the looming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte when he quipped that Senator Rodante Marcoleta could “join her defense team.”
The jab came with an edge: If Marcoleta can “lawyer” for Duterte, would Lacson himself end up acting as a de facto prosecutor?
On Saturday, Lacson bristled at former presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo’s claim that he and several senators appear predisposed to convict Duterte.
Lacson called Panelo ungas (dumb) over the latter’s observation of the senator’s supposed “anti-Duterte” bias. In response, Panelo said Lacson’s reliance on “insult and personal attack is a mark of idiocy” (See related story).
Turning on Marcoleta, Lacson warned that the latter may try to question the legal basis of the impeachment process but stressed that the Constitution leaves no room for maneuvering.
“The answer to Marcoleta’s threat lies in one word: Constitution,” Lacson said. “It depends on how he will present his arguments. If needed, he may be told to join the defense team.”