Marcos not blocking any impeachment move vs. Sara, Bersamin says

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is not blocking any impeachment attempt against Vice President Sara Duterte, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said Friday.

At a press briefing, Bersamin was asked for comment on the remark made by the Makabayan bloc that the President was deliberately blocking the impeachment of Duterte in line with his previous statements on the matter.

"The President was saying to the lower house, this is my position, but he is not blocking, he is not blocking he cannot do that eh," Bersamin said.

"Because it is the discretion of the collective of the lower house. If they decide to initiate, there is no way of preventing that," he added.

Last Wednesday, ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro, Gabriela Women's Party Rep. Arlene Brosas, and Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel of the Makabayan bloc issued a joint statement condemning the "unprecedented delay" in processing the impeachment complaints.

"The hesitation to transmit and initiate impeachment proceedings clearly stems from President Marcos Jr.'s previous statements admitting that he indeed told his allies not to file an impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte as it was 'not important' and won't make a difference in Filipinos' lives," the lawmakers said.

"President Marcos Jr. has proven himself to be the biggest stumbling block to achieving accountability in corruption cases involving the Vice President's confidential funds. We must ask: Does this have something to do with his own confidential funds and the system that benefits him and his allies?" they asked.

In an interview earlier this month, House Secretary General Reginald Velasco confirmed that the three pending impeachment complaints against Duterte have all been verified, with a fourth one possibly in the pipeline.

Velasco had said that he was ready to transmit the three complaints to the office of Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, but also added that he had promised to give a group of 10 to 12 congressmen time to either file a fourth impeachment complaint or endorse one of the three already filed.

In a later interview, Velasco said some lawmakers appear to be in the "wait and see" mode on the impeachment complaint following the recent Iglesia Ni Cristo rally.

Speaking at a pro-impeachment rally last Saturday, Castro said Marcos' remarks have weakened the push to impeach Duterte. She rejected the idea that the impeachment process lacked time, noting that the complaints had already been filed since December of last year.

Complainants have said the impeachment of Duterte within a year will only happen if members of Congress, both the House of Representatives and the Senate, are all in for it.

The President had expressed belief that the impeachment process will not benefit the lives of Filipinos. He also said it is not the time to go through an impeachment process.

For her part, Duterte had said she welcomes the filing of impeachment complaints against her because only she is the subject of the supposed attacks and do not include her former and current colleagues at the OVP and DepEd.

Duterte had also said that this would also provide her the opportunity to finally answer allegations against her. — VDV, GMA Integrated News