MANILA: Vice President Sara Duterte has only herself to blame for the impeachment trial she is facing, House trial spokesperson Zia Alonto Adiong of Lanao del Sur said Sunday (Oct 18), arguing that the proceedings would not have taken place had she not committed any wrongdoing.
Alonto Adiong reminded the public that the impeachment proceedings stemmed from allegations that Duterte misused confidential funds at the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd); threatened the lives of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., first lady Liza Marcos and former Speaker Martin Romualdez; engaged in bribery; and failed to explain the source of her wealth.
“She is the source of this problem. She was the one who failed to make proper declarations. The people entrusted her with their confidence, but she failed to protect that trust and take care of the people’s money,” he told radio dzBB’s “Bantay Balita sa Kongreso,” hosted by Nimfa Ravelo and Isa Avendaño-Umali.
“So she is the root cause of why we are holding an impeachment trial now. If she had not done all the things she did, we would not be having this impeachment trial,” he added.
Duterte had claimed that the 2027 national budget was being used to “reward” lawmakers to secure her conviction.
Alonto Adiong rejected the allegation, saying the proposed budget had yet to reach the Senate.
“So what is she talking about when she says there are rewards? This is a constitutional duty being carried out by the House and the Senate. Besides, the budget has not even reached the Senate yet,” he said.
Alonto Adiong said the Duterte camp had been pushing the same narrative repeatedly, downplaying the impeachment proceedings despite their being part of the constitutional process for holding the country’s highest public officials accountable.
“They are downgrading it. They are trivializing this very important constitutional duty being carried out to hold her accountable,” he added.
He maintained that the proceedings would not have taken place had Duterte properly disclosed her assets, used public funds appropriately and refrained from making threats.
“First of all, we would not be talking about an impeachment trial if she had not misused the confidential funds. We would not be talking about a trial if she had not made threats,” Alonto Adiong said.
“We would not be talking about a trial if she had fully disclosed all her assets and properties in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN). This has been their narrative for a long time,” he added.
The prosecution spokesperson said the House prosecution team had not taken a break since it finished presenting its evidence and witness testimony.
Instead, he said, the panel had been preparing for the defense presentation by conducting mock trials and anticipating its strategies ahead of the resumption of proceedings on Nov 9. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
