By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte’s spokesperson Salvador Paolo Panelo Jr. on Thursday rejected discussions about possible successors to the Vice President, arguing that unresolved questions over the impeachment proceedings must be addressed before any succession scenario is considered.
Panelo questioned the Senate impeachment court’s impartiality, the constitutionality of the two-thirds conviction threshold and alleged violations of Duterte’s right to due process. He also raised concerns over senators serving as judges while facing or allegedly threatened with plunder and other criminal complaints.
Citing a Social Weather Stations survey conducted from September 21 to 27, Panelo said only 28% of Filipinos trusted the Senate impeachment court to deliver a fair judgment, with a net trust rating of -7%.
He criticized the Senate majority’s handling of the prosecution’s withdrawal of certain impeachment articles, claiming the move wasted public resources and deprived Duterte of a fair opportunity to answer Articles I and IV of the complaint.
Panelo argued that succession discussions also distract from inflation, food security risks associated with Super El Niño, economic growth slowing to 2.3%, and the peso’s record-low performance.
Malacañang Press Officer Claire Castro earlier said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had neither discussed nor considered a replacement. Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano urged senators to reject any offer to assume the vice presidency if Duterte is convicted, while Sen. Francis Escudero cited a conflict of interest in ruling himself out.
Under the Constitution, a vice-presidential vacancy is filled through presidential nomination and confirmation by a majority vote in both houses of Congress.
ia/xf
