Vice President Sara Duterte said she is not resigning from post amid the filing of the impeachment complaint against her in the senate.
In a press briefing, Duterte said the issue of resignation is still a remote possibility and the situation is still very far from it.
“Wala pa tayo doon masyado pang malayo yong ganyang mga bagay nandito palang tayo sa pagbabasa. May mga abogado tayong nagtatrabaho” Duterte said.
Prior to this, Former Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said that if the vice president resigns the impeachment complaint against her will eventually be dismissed.
“Constitution says that the penalty should not go beyond the removal from office and perpetual disqualification to all public office. So if she has resigned, it’s academic. You can not remove her from office anymore,” Carpio said.
The idea of resignation circulated online as the only option for vice president to evade perpetual disqualification in case the impeachment court decides to remove her from the post.
Duterte said she has not read the complaint yet but her lawyers have been ready as early as November last year when the news on impeachment broke out.
The vice president said she is scheduled to meet her lawyers today to discuss their defense and other matters concerning the impeachment.
Senate President Chiz Escudero earlier said the impeachment court shall be convened on June 2 as the 19th congress resumes session after the May 21 Midterm Elections.
Based on the Articles of Impeachment the complaints were based on the following grounds: Culpable Violation of the Constitution, Betrayal of Public Trust, Graft and Corruption and Other Crimes.
The complaints were in connection to Duterte’s alleged misuse of her confidential funds, threats to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr among others.
Abner is an award-winning journalist. He received the prestigious 2015 Titus Brandsma Award for Community Communication in the Philippines and participated in the 2016 International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) of the United States of America, sponsored by the US Embassy in the Philippines. Founder of WATCH NORTH COTABATO, a media-citizens’ transparency group. He worked as a correspondent for the Philippine Daily Inquirer and CNN Philippines. His experience in broadcasting includes anchoring for Brigada News FM in Kidapawan and General Santos City and Brigada News TV. He anchors Tira Brigada via 105.1 Brigada News FM Manila, Mondays-Saturdays.