President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said it would be better for Vice President Sara Duterte to personally attend her impeachment trial, saying it would make the proceedings clearer and help the Senate impeachment court resolve the issues more efficiently.
Speaking to reporters in Vancouver after his four-day official visit to Canada, Marcos said it would be easier to “get to the bottom of everything” if Duterte answered the allegations herself instead of leaving the task entirely to her lawyers.
“Kung diretsong makapagsagot, ‘di syempre mas magiging maliwanag ang proseso, mas magiging madali ang proseso. But that’s just my own opinion and that’s not a legal opinion,” Marcos said.
The Senate impeachment court has directed Duterte to appear at the opening of her impeachment trial on July 6, either in person or through legal counsel.
Marcos, who served as a senator-judge during the impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona, said that if he were in the same position, he would insist on appearing before the court even if advised otherwise by his lawyers.
“I would almost insist over the advice of lawyers. If they advise me not to appear, I would insist on appearing,” he said.
Duterte’s lawyer, Michael Poa, earlier said the Vice President may personally attend the trial if her legal team finds it necessary and advises her to do so.
Poa also said Duterte’s defense lawyers are actively participating in the impeachment proceedings and addressing the allegations against their client.
The articles of impeachment accuse Duterte of alleged misuse of confidential funds, amassing unexplained wealth, bribery, and issuing grave threats.
The Vice President has denied the allegations, maintaining there is no basis for the charges and describing the House clarificatory hearings as a “fishing expedition” against her
