Philippines' Marcos says vice president's impeachment not a matter for executive branch

MANILA: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Thursday distanced himself from the impeachment of his estranged Vice President Sara Duterte, saying the executive branch of government cannot have a hand in it.

Marcos made the remark a day after the lower house, led by his cousin, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, impeached Duterte and set the stage for a rare, high-profile trial in the Senate.

The impeachment complaint was endorsed by 215 of 306 lawmakers, including the president's son, Ilocos Norte Congressman Ferdinand Alexander Marcos, who was the first to sign the complaint.

The vice president, who has been embroiled in a long-running row with former ally Marcos, has previously dismissed moves against her as politically motivated.

"I do not give guidance to Congress," Marcos told a press conference. "We leave it to the Congress now, specifically the Senate, to exercise their own wisdom."

"The Senate has no choice but to process the impeachment complaint," Marcos said.

The complaint, which was sent to the Senate on Wednesday, charged Duterte with culpable violation of the constitution, graft and corruption, other high crimes and betrayal of public trust.

It stemmed from allegations Duterte misused public funds while vice president and education minister, amassed unexplained wealth, and threatened the lives of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the first lady and the lower house speaker.

Sara Duterte is the daughter of Rodrigo Duterte, the mercurial former mayor who was Philippine president from 2016-2022. She has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.

Senate President Francis Escudero on Thursday said the Senate can only act on the impeachment complaint on June 2 when Congress resumes after midterm elections in May, when 12 of the upper house's 24 seats will be decided.

Escudero said the senators, who will act as judges in the trial, need to swear an oath while Congress is in session before they can convene as an impeachment court.

"Legally, it cannot be done," Escudero said.

Duterte became the second-most-senior elected official in the Philippines to be impeached after former President Joseph Estrada in 2000.

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