Senator JV Ejercito. PHOTO FROM @jvejercito Instagram
Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejerito immediately dismissed on Thursday the impeachment case filed against President Rodrigo Duterte, saying there was no “compelling reason” for at it at this point.
Ejercito, member of the Senate majority bloc, said the situation today was different from the time of then President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA).
“Iba ang sitwasyon noong nanguna ang Magdalo sa ouster plot laban kay GMA sa sitwasyon ngayon. GMA’s legitimacy was in question then, while President Duterte was given the mandate by the Filipino people,” he said.
READ: 1st impeachment complaint filed vs Duterte in lower House
“No compelling reason to file an impeachment complaint against the President at this time. Wala sa tamang panahon ang impeachment complaint na ito (This impeachment complaint is pointless). When will we ever move forward if we have ouster moves like these?” the senator added.
Arroyo was swept into power in 2001 after Ejercito’s father, then President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, was ousted from his post.
Ejercito’s statement came shortly after Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano filed an impeachment complaint against Duterte at the House of Representatives.
READ: Impeach Duterte? Aguirre asks: What trust did the President betray?
It was the first impeachment case file against Duterte since he assumed office on June, 30, 2016. IDL/rga