ACT Teachers party-list solons urge Imee, Robin to recuse from impeachment trial

The ACT Teachers Partylist today called on Senators Imee Marcos and Robin Padilla to recuse from the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

This developed after Imee Marcos and Padilla went with Sara Duterte to Kuala Lumpur and attended an event with overseas Filipino workers, during which the two senators openly expressed their support for the impeached official.

"Well, para sa akin, matagal naman na nating alam na talagang... supporter pa rin ng mga Duterte. Kaya dapat ay mag-inhibit sila as senator-judge doon sa magaganap na trial para doon sa impeachment,” ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro said in an interview.

"Mukhang wala na tayong magagawa sa dalawang yan kung ganyan ang mga statement. Hindi pa nagsisimula ang paglalabas ng mga testimony, mga witnesses, mga documents, ay meron na silang predjudgment doon sa impeachment trial, impeachment case,” she added.

GMA News Online is trying to get a comment from Imee Marcos and Padilla and will publish their comments as soon as they are available.

Castro’s party mate, representative-elect Antonio Tinio, echoed the call but said he didn’t expect Sara Duterte's allies to recuse from the impeachment trial.

“Dapat talaga mag-inhibit sila. Pero pangungunahan na rin natin na alam natin na hindi naman nila gagawin yon kasi inhibition ay voluntary. At wala tayong ilusyon na mag-iinhibit ang dalawang yan o yung mga senators na openly supportive kay Vice President Sara Duterte,” Tinio said.

House Assistant Majority Leader Jude Acidre of Tingog Partylist said the issue against the two senators, who will be sitting as judges in the impeachment trial, is not only moral and ethical but also goes against the oath they took as public servants.

“It’s a moral question. It’s an ethical question, yes. But most importantly, it appears to be a betrayal of the oath they took. They did not take an oath; no one, including myself, took an oath to protect one single political leader. We all took an oath to protect the institution, the Constitution,” Acidre said in an interview.

“'Yon naman talaga ang trabaho namin. Wala naman kaming trabahong protektahan kahit sinong pulitikko, mataas man o mababa sa amin. Ang trabaho namin ay sundin ang Konstitusyon, na nilabag ng Senado sa usapin ng impeachment,” he added.

House Deputy Majority Leader Francisco Paolo Ortega of La Union said it was unethical for a senator-judge to be vocal about their support for the impeached vice president.

“They're still making the obvious very obvious. As a senator judge, dapat impartial ka,” Ortega said.

Acidre and Ortega did not join the calls for the Duterte allies to recuse from the impeachment trial.

“The Senate would be the best judge on how to address this issue. In the end, consistent tayo sa ating pananaw that the Senate cannot look into the affairs of the House on how we conduct our proceedings, and only presume regularity of our actions. I’m giving them the same presumption of regularity,” Acidre said.

“It depends sa Senate… Nasa sa kanila yan kasi I cannot speak for them. I can only speak for the House. Siyempre yung context ng pagiging judge, siyempre may dapat… requirement talaga na impartial ka,” Ortega said. –NB, GMA Integrated News