Opposition senators mum on impeachment complaints vs Aquino

President Benigno Aquino III INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

Senator Nancy Binay on Tuesday opted not to comment on the impeachment moves against the President, noting that her father, Vice President Jejomar Binay, “may directly benefit” from it.

“For reasons of delicadeza, it is not proper for me to comment on the possible impeachment of the President since my father, being the vice president and second-highest official in government, may directly benefit from the outcome of the impeachment,” Senator Binay said in a text message.

Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III also refused to comment on the impeachment complaints filed at the House of Representatives against President Aquino, noting that the case might be elevated to the Senate.

“We should not comment so that in case it’s elevated to us, we will remain impartial,” Sotto said in a separate text message.

Senators Binay and Sotto belong to the minority bloc.

President Benigno Aquino III’s allies in the Senate, meanwhile, believe that the impeachment complaints filed against him over the Disbursement Acceleration Program, parts of which were declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court (SC), will not prosper.

“Hindi po susulong ‘yan dahil ‘yan po ay purely politically motivated (That won’t prosper because it is purely politically motivated),” Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said in a radio interview.

Senator Serge Osmeña, in an interview Monday, also said he does not think the impeachment bid would advance in the lower chamber.

“No, para sa akin no. It won’t prosper,” Osmeña said, pointing out that even the SC did not see any criminal liability when it declared parts of the DAP unconstitutional.

“It’s unconstitutional but it was in good faith. I will say that PNoy (Aquino) did not personally benefit and he did approve the DAP in good faith, in a more efficient way of utilizing the limited funds that the nation has,” he added.

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