Palace on alleged impeachment plan vs Robredo: ‘We’ll just watch in amusement’

MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang on Thursday vowed to keep its distance from the supposed plan to file an impeachment case against Vice President Leni Robredo if she is indicted over the sedition charges filed against her and several others.

“We’ll just watch in amusement. In other words, we will not interfere,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a Palace briefing.

Last week, the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) filed sedition and other charges against Robredo and several opposition figures for their alleged involvement in the release of the “Ang Totoong Narcolist” videos, which purportedly detailed the drug links of President Rodrigo Duterte’s family.

READ: Sedition case filed vs Robredo, 35 others over ‘Bikoy’ videos

The complaint banked on the affidavit of Peter Joemel Advincula, the man supposedly behind the video series, whose lawyer Larry Gadon admitted in a television interview that the next step after Robredo’s possible indictment is to push for impeachment proceedings against her.

READ: Gadon admission of impeachment plan vs Robredo ‘political harassment’—spox

Panelo, who is also Duterte’s chief legal counsel, said Gadon has the right to “do anything legal under the Constitution.”

“Bahala siya sa sarili niya. Sa kanyang diskarte ‘yun. Every citizen has the right to do anything legal under the Constitution, but whether it will succeed or not, it’s another thing,” he said.

ABS-CBN earlier reported that two lawyers of the Office of Solicitor General (OSG) authored and reviewed Advincula’s affidavit. 

But Malacañang said there is nothing wrong with OSG’s role in the complaints as the PNP-CIDG was one of OSG’s clients the government’s principal law office.

READ: Palace: Nothing wrong when PNP ‘consulted’ OSG over Bikoy affidavit 

Robredo has dismissed the charges as “kwentong kutsero” (hearsay) and mere harassment to opposition members. /je

READ: Robredo camp says sedition case mere harassment, ‘kwentong kutsero’