Former Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Atty. Salvador Panelo said on Monday that the impeachment case filed against Vice President Sara Duterte is among the signs that the Marcos administration wants to suppress her.
On December 2, advocacy groups file an impeachment complaint against the vice president on the grounds of betrayal of public trust, grave misconduct, constitutional violations, graft and corruption, and bribery.
Among those who filed the complaint was former senator Leila de Lima, which was endorsed by Akbayan partylist Rep. Percy Cendaña.
The HoR is said to be ready to act on the impeachment complaint.
As for the Ombudsman, it said that there’s no reason to investigate the vice president.
“Obvious na obvious na yan may isang tao na gusto siyang tanggalin, impeachment eh. At alam naman nating numbers game yan,” Panelo said via SMNI news.
Panelo also cited the changing of the vice president’s security group as among the signs that this administration wants to silence her.
Many of the members of the Vice Presidential Security and Protection Group (VPSPG) will be temporarily replaced with new personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) as they will be put under investigation.
“Bakit mo tinatanggalan ng security na para nga bigyan siya ng protection. Pag tinaggal mo yan siya ay bukas sa lahat ng uri ng karahasan laban sa kanya,” Panelo said.
Panelo also criticized President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. following the President’s call on the HoR not to impeach the vice president.
According to Panelo, it appears that the President is just washing up what his former running mate might get into.
“Ang mga nandiyan sa kongreso hindi makakagalaw ang realidad sa Pilipinas na hindi nalalaman at sinasang ayunan ng Presidente ng bansa. Yung impeachment na yan eh talagang itutuloy nila yan regardless na may sinasabi si BBM na huwag ituloy eh yun ay para malayo siya sa hinala na may kinalaman siya siya,” Panelo said.
The vice president has yet to issue a statement concerning the impeachment complaint.
