Palace on Robredo impeachment: ‘We have better things to do’

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañan Palace on Monday distanced itself from the impeachment threat against Vice President Leni Robredo for her supporting a United Nations resolution to probe the human rights situation in the Philippines.

“You know, we have better things to do. There are so many problems in this country. I will leave it to those who would want to initiate whatever they want to initiate against whomsoever,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a Palace briefing.

Panelo issued the statement after lawyer Manuelito Luna, Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) commissioner, said Robredo could face an impeachment complaint for supporting the Iceland resolution approved by 18 members of the UN Human Rights Council.

“Vice President Robredo’s expression of support to the UNHRC resolution against the Philippine government may cause her to be impeached,” Luna said in a statement.

Luna said: “For the nth time, [Robredo] has made it appear that the government is guilty of human rights abuses, and that’s a betrayal of public trust.”

Panelo, however, distanced Malacañang from such pronouncements.

“PACC ba o iyong isang miyembro ng PACC?” he said, asking whether it was the position of the anti-corruption body or just one of its members.

“Is ignorance a betrayal of the public trust? That is my response. If gross ignorance is the ground for impeachment, is that a ground under the Constitution?” Panelo added.

The government has been insisting that the killings of drug suspects nationwide were not state-sponsored contrary to claims of human rights groups.

/atm