‘No prejudgment’: Palace leaves Duterte impeachment verdict to senators

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang said on Monday it will not make any prejudgment on the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, saying that only the senator-judges can determine whether or not she should be held accountable.

Duterte’s impeachment trial is set to begin on July 6, after the Senate convened as an impeachment court on May 18.

“Malacañang, the Palace, and the president will not make any prejudgment. The evidence should be fully disclosed once the impeachment trial takes place,” Palace press officer Claire Castro said in Filipino at a briefing, when asked whether Malacañang believes that the pieces of evidence presented so far are sufficient to justify the impeachment before the Senate.

“And it will be the people who will judge — aside, of course, from the senator-judges, who will determine the contents of the evidence and whether the vice president should be held accountable for the accusations being leveled against her,” Castro added.

Pursuing accountability

Meanwhile, Castro said the Marcos administration upholds the principle that those who should be held accountable must indeed answer for their actions.

“If there were instances in past administrations where accountability cases were ignored or left unresolved, this administration will not do the same,” she said.

The articles of impeachment against Duterte were transmitted from the House of Representatives to the Senate on May 13, paving the way for the next phase of the impeachment process.

On the same night, a shooting incident occurred within the legislative chamber. /gsg /atm