‘People are watching,’ Rep. Castro warns Ombudsman on VP case
MANILA, Philippines — ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro has warned Ombudsman Samuel Martires that “people are extra vigilant in watching him” handle the corruption charges against Vice President Sara Duterte.
In a statement on Saturday, Castro mentioned that Martires was an appointee of former President Rodrigo Duterte—the father of the vice president.
“We would just like to warn the Ombudsman that being a Duterte appointee, the people are extra vigilant in watching him as they fear that there may be a whitewash of the case even if the evidence are overwhelming,” Castro said.
READ: De Lima casts doubt about timing of Ombudsman order to Sara Duterte
Martires was appointed as Ombudsman in 2018 by then-President Duterte. He was a Supreme Court Associate Justice before taking the position.
On Friday, Martires ordered Vice President Duterte, along with nine other officials from the Office of the Vice President and Department of Education, to file counter-affidavits in answer to the House of Representatives’ adopted committee report recommending the filing of charges.
The charges are technical malversation, falsification and use of falsified documents, perjury, bribery and corruption, and plunder, betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution.
‘Ombudsman’s move vs VP welcome’
Despite the warning, Castro nonetheless said Martires’ move to order Duterte to respond to the complaints is welcome “even as the impeachment proceedings take their course.”
READ: Ombudsman to Sara Duterte: Respond to misuse of funds complaints
“Hindi dapat maging one or the other (It shouldn’t be one or the other.). Impeachment is removal from office and perpetual disqualification. The criminal case meanwhile is for imprisonment and the mere fact that she is asked to explain means it has sound basis,” Castro said.
The lawmaker emphasized that “all modes for holding Sara Duterte accountable, whether through criminal cases or impeachment, should be welcomed.”
“This need not be a case of choosing one over the other. Let the separate proceedings reach their logical conclusion, conviction,” said Castro.
Castro was among the 215 lawmakers in the House who signed an impeachment complaint against Duterte, leading to the vice president’s impeachment in the lower chamber on February 5. Some of the grounds include “culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust and graft and corruption.”
On June 10, the Senate convened as an impeachment court to start the trial against the vice president. However, Senator-Judge Alan Peter Cayetano introduced a motion to return the articles of impeachment to the lower chamber, asserting to ensure that constitutional safeguards and issues of jurisdiction were not violated.
Eighteen senator-judges voted in favor of the motion, leading to the impeachment court to remand the articles of impeachment to the House. /cb
