Palace Press Officer Atty. Claire Castro delivered sharp criticism against the Senate’s decision on the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.
Speaking on her podcast, Castro said she believes the upper chamber “washed its hands” of the matter and merely hid behind the ruling of the Supreme Court.
On Wednesday, August 6, nineteen senators voted in favor of archiving the impeachment complaint against Vice President Duterte, four voted “no,” and one abstained.
“Tingin ko lang, etong mga Senador na ’to, feeling ko lang ’to ha, gusto nilang i-dismiss pero nagtatago ngayon sila sa desisyon ng Supreme Court (I just feel that these Senators actually want to dismiss the case, but they’re now hiding behind the Supreme Court’s decision),” Castro remarked.
She added, “Nakatakas ang Senado sa judgment ng mga tao na sila ang pumatay sa impeachment kasi ang tinuturo (nila) Supreme Court (The Senate escaped public judgment for killing the impeachment because they’re pointing the blame at the Supreme Court).”
Castro stressed that the Senate could have taken other actions while the motion for reconsideration filed by the House of Representatives was still pending before the Supreme Court regarding its earlier decision declaring the Articles of Impeachment “unconstitutional.”
“You can also show respect by not making any action, saying na let’s wait for the decision, final decision of the Supreme Court and kapag naging final na ito at sinabing no jurisdiction, then we’ll abide by the law (You can also show respect by refraining from taking any action, saying, “Let’s wait for the Supreme Court’s final decision, and once it’s final and it says there’s no jurisdiction, then we’ll abide by the law),” she said.
In the end, Castro claimed that the current situation is still the fault of Vice President Duterte, saying the impeachment complaints would never have happened had she simply addressed the issues surrounding her confidential funds.
Castro clarified that her statements were her personal opinion and had nothing to do with Malacañang or President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.