by Nova Mae Francas
ACTING Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte reiterated on Friday that the impeachment case against his sister, Vice President Sara Duterte, is, from the very start, just a political scheme.
“Sa simula pa lang kasi talaga it’s purely political. Hindi ko lang maintindihan bakit hindi nila binibigyan ng respeto yung en banc decision ng Supreme Court. That’s a heavy statement coming from the judiciary,” Duterte told reporters in a sideline interview after the opening of the Kadayawan Festival at Magsaysay Park on Aug. 8.
Asked about his position on the Senate decision to archive the impeachment case against the vice president, he said the SC should be respected.
“May decision yung Korte Suprema and yet they still want to push the issue. Para sa akin kailangan respetuhin talaga ang Supreme Court because there are three separate branches of government, coequal branches. So, bakit marami pa tayong pinag-uusapan? They already made the decision, and that should be final,” the acting mayor said.
“I’m going to say what I said before, from the beginning it’s a political scheme, it’s a mere campaign against the vice president,” he added.
He recognized the House of Representatives’ filing of a motion for reconsideration, noting, “It is what democracy is all about.” Nonetheless, he stressed that the Higher Court has already decided on the issue.
Duterte, meanwhile, told opposition lawmakers condemning the decision of the Senate to archive, “they are free to say whatever they want for democracy’s sake.”
“If you don’t have the numbers, you can’t have the cake, the prize,” he stressed.
He took a swipe at President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. when the president said the executive department does not have a role in the impeachment proceedings during his visit to India.
“I don’t really think it matters what he says, because nothing really comes out of his mouth that is worth listening to,” Duterte said.
The Senate on Wednesday, Aug. 6, approved the motion of Senator Rodante Marcoleta to adhere to the immediate executory decision of the SC en banc, effectively archiving the impeachment complaint against the vice president.
