Erice to skip VP Sara impeach vote: 'Both Duterte and Marcos rivers lead to hell'

Caloocan Second District Representative Edgar Erice on Monday said he was neither in the Duterte camp nor the Marcos side over his decision not to participate in the expected House plenary vote on the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte.

Via a unanimous 55-0 vote on Monday morning, the House justice panel approved sending the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte to the plenary vote, which Erice has decided to boycott, saying he refuses to be a pawn of two political dynasties: the Dutertes and the Marcoses.

“Hindi ako namamangka sa ilog ni Duterte o sa ilog ni Marcos dahil ang pupuntahan ng ilog ni Marcos at ni Duterte ay impiyerno sa bansang Pilipinas,” Erice told reporters.

(I am neither rowing in the Duterte river nor the Marcos river because their rivers both lead to hell in the Philippines.)

Erice also maintained that the evidence unearthed by the House justice panel against Vice President Duterte—which include P6.7 billion worth of bank transactions made under her bank account and that of her husband Manases Carpio and the Commission on Audit's (COA) issuing more than one notice of disallowance against the Office of the Vice President's use of confidential funds—are not enough to impeach her.

“Hindi ako naniniwala sa proseso na ginawa [I don't believe in the process that took place]. I will not attend the plenary session. I will not be a pawn to anybody. Ang marangal na paghahabol ay [The honorable way to go after accountability] after the term,” Erice said, referring to the Office of the Ombudsman authority to file cases against public officials.

The Vice President's term ends on June 30, 2028.

“Dapat mapanagot siya [Vice President] sa tamang panahon, sa Ombudsman siguro [She should be held accountable in the right time, by the Ombudsman perhaps],” Erice added.

Asked about the possibility of Duterte being able to run for president without having to answer the charges against her, Erice said, "Well, there will be a Senate trial. I'm sure that they will have numbers Actually my vote is insignificant in this process. I know that there will be enough votes. I prayed for wisdom, and my wisdom is not to participate."

Asked also about the participation of lawmakers and groups such as Makabayan and the Liberal Party who have demonstrably not been on the side of either the Dutertes or the Marcoses, he replied, "Well, I'm not sure about their motive. Pero ako, hindi ako magpapagamit [I will not allow myself to be used]." — BM, GMA News