Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/ MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
After defending the impeachment move against Vice President Leni Robredo, Senate President Aqulino “Koko” Pimentel III on Thursday called such move “divisive and time consuming.”
“It distracts from other important work. It should be resorted to as the last card against an erring high official for serious and grave reasons. It should not be treated lightly,” Pimentel said in a text message.
The Senate leader was reacting to President Rodrigo Duterte’s statement against impeaching Robredo, saying the latter was just exercising her freedom of speech when she criticized his war on drugs.
READ: ‘Let her be,’ Duterte tells people who want Robredo impeached
Just last Monday, however, Pimentel defended Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez’s plan to file an impeachment complaint against the Vice President.
“Sino ba ang naunang nanuntok? So parang napa-react tuloy si Speaker and he has the numbers, that’s the problem. Ang ginising ninyo, sleeping giant,” he said.
(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.)
“Reaction na lang ‘yun dahil may nag-file kasi against our party chairman. Ang ginising ninyo sleeping giant pa,” Pimentel added.
(It’s just a reaction because someone filed against our party chairman. You woke a sleeping giant.)
READ: Leni facing ouster threat for waking ‘sleeping giant’ —Pimentel
Senators Joel Villanueva and Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito also welcomed Duterte’s stand against Robredo’s impeachment.
“I am glad that the President issued this statement. Vice President Robredo expressed her opinion and impression of the current political and social state of our country with regard to our fight against illegal drugs,” Villanueva said in a separate text message, alluding to reports that the impeachment complaint stemmed from Robredo’s video criticizing the Duterte administration’s war on drugs aired at a United Nations event. .
“Freedom and democracy guarantee every individual’s right to self-expression. We must always protect our democratic space and I am happy that the President recognizes this,” the neophyte senator added.
Ejercito said Duterte’s statement only showed that the latter is a statesman.
“It shows that President Duterte respects the mandate given by the people as well. (It also) shows that he is a statesman,” Ejericito said in another text message. IDL/rga
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