‘Whale of a difference’ in impeach raps vs Duterte, Robredo—solon

President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Leni Robredo. PHOTO FROM VP LENI ROBREDO’S OFFICE

Albay Representative Edcel Lagman on Wednesday pointed out that there are huge differences between the impeachment complaints against President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Leni Robredo.

Last week, a former soldier turned lawmaker Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano filed an impeachment complaint against Duterte, and among the basis are culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.

READ: 1st impeachment complaint filed vs Duterte for killings, graft

And on late Monday, two Marcos loyalists, Oliver Lozano and Melchor Chavez have gotten the ball rolling for the impeachment of Robredo, with their six-page complaint anchored on the grounds of culpable violation of the Constitution, acts of injustice, and betrayal of public trust arising from Robredo’s video message to the United Nations Commission on Narcotics criticizing the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs.

READ: Robredo called ‘termite of government’ in impeach complaint

Listing what he called “a whale of a difference,” Lagman said in a statement that while Duterte is indicted with the “high crimes of multiple murders and crimes against humanity for the summary killing of around 8,000 drug suspects which he reportedly encouraged, induced, tolerated and/or condoned, Robredo is (charged supposedly) with bringing extrajudicial killings committed in wake of Duterte’s deadly campaign against the so-called drug menace to the attention of the United Nations, the institutional guardian of human rights and the rule of law.”

“President Duterte is charged with betrayal of public trust for the said extrajudicial killings, while Vice President Robredo upheld public trust by reporting the said summary executions to seek the stoppage of and sanctions for the said wanton criminality,” he further explained.

Lagman added that while “Duterte is accused of violating his oath of office under the Constitution for flagrant failure to execute the laws, do justice to every man and consecrate himself to the service of the nation, Robredo, for her actions, has preserved and observed the sanctity of her oath of office.”

For his part, the opposition lawmaker hopes his colleagues would adhere to the “ascendancy of reason” instead of just relying on numbers in assessing the impeachment complaints. IDL