Leni facing ouster threat for waking ‘sleeping giant’ —Pimentel

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez (left) and Senate President Koko Pimentel. INQUIRER FILES

Vice President Leni Robredo is facing a possible impeachment case because her political group, the Liberal Party (LP), has awakened the “sleeping giant,” Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said on Monday.

The “sleeping giant” Pimentel was referring to was Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, who is mulling an impeachment case against Robredo for criticizing the government’s war on drugs before an international body.

“Let’s say walang hand ang LP sa filing of the impeachment process (against Duterte), kasi ang tanong dito, sino ba ang unang sumuntok? ‘Yun ang tanong dito, sino ba ang unang nanuntok?” Pimentel said in an interview at the Senate.

(Let’s say LP had no hand in filing the impeachment process against Duterte, because my question is, who was the one who threw the punch first? That’s my question, who punched first?)

“Let’s say walang hand ang LP dito (LP had no hand in it), I hope they denounce the people behind the impeachment process (against Duterte). They are not denouncing it kaya tumutuloy po ‘yung duda (which is why there are doubts), na if they are not behind it, they are part of it.”

“Sino ba ang naunang nanuntok? So parang napa-react tuloy si Speaker and he has the numbers, that’s the problem. Ang ginising niyo, sleeping giant,” the Senate leader added.

(Who threw the punch first? So it’s like the Speaker just reacted and he has the numbers, that’s the problem. You woke a sleeping a giant.)

Pimentel said Alvarez’s statement that he would file an impeachment case against Robredo was just a reaction to the impeachment case filed by Magdalo Partylist Representative Gar Alejano against President Rodrigo Duterte.

Duterte and Pimentel are chairman and president of the PDP-Laban, respectively, while the Speaker is the party secretary general.

“Reaction na lang ‘yun dahil may nag-file kasi against our party chairman. Ang ginising ninyo sleeping giant pa,” Pimentel said.

(It’s just a reaction because someone filed against our party chairman. You woke a sleeping giant.)

The Senate leader urged the LP to denounce the filing of the impeachment case against Duterte if indeed the group was not behind or part of it.

Asked if he believed the LP had nothing to do with the impeachment case against Duterte, Pimentel said: “I don’t know the truth so let them tell the truth who’s behind this and that they have nothing to do with this.”

Asked about the possible impeachment case against Robredo, the Senate leader assured the President would not interfere with the affairs of the House.

“Ang nakikita ko, (ang) President sa goings-on of Congress, hands off siya (What I see is that the President is hands off when it comes to the goings-on of Congress),” said Pimentel. JE/rga