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Senator Imee Marcos on Tuesday questioned the supposed "rush" in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
In an ambush interview, Marcos said that the administration of her brother, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., is seemingly trying to make the image of the country "look good" considering that it would host the 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Summits next month.
“Ramdam ko na parang papogi tayo nang bonggang bongga sa closing ceremony ng ASEAN. Higit sa lahat dahil parating si Presidente (Donald) Trump on the way to China, so syempre ayaw na may pinaguusapan na hindi maganda kaya biglang nakahinga tayo ng three-week recess kuno at saka budget hearings na,” she said.
(I have a feeling that we’re really trying to make our image look good for the ASEAN closing ceremony. Especially since President Trump is coming here on his way to China. Naturally, we wouldn’t want any negative talks, so maybe that’s why we got a three-week recess for the impeachment and we’re only conducting budget hearings now.)
“Ewan. Pakiramdam ko lang. Tapos biglang na-drop ang three articles matapos ang ilang araw na gulo… Pakiramdam ko lahat nagmamadali. Ewan ko, what’s the rush? What’s the rush? Naiisip ko lang ang ASEAN parating, baka ayaw na magulo ang itsura natin,” she added.
(I don’t know. That’s just my hunch. And then suddenly, the three articles of impeachment were dropped after days of chaos… It feels like everyone is in a rush. I mean, what’s the rush? What’s the rush? I just keep thinking about the upcoming ASEAN Summit. Perhaps they don’t want to tarnish our image.)
GMA News Online has reached out to the Palace and impeachment court spokesperson Regie Tongol for comments and will update this story once he responds.
Malacañang earlier confirmed that Trump will be coming to the Philippines to attend the ASEAN Summit. Aside from him, world leaders from ASEAN and other partner countries are expected to attend the event.
The 49th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits will take place from November 16 to 18, mainly at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.
The impeachment trial, on the other hand, was temporarily suspended on October 13 to pave the way for the deliberations on the proposed 2027 national budget. The Senate impeachment court shall reconvene on November 9 at 10 a.m.
During the trial on October 13, the House prosecution panel dropped three out of the four Articles of Impeachment leveled against the Vice President, saying its case will stand on Article II alone on alleged unexplained wealth due to non-full declaration of assets and non-divestment of business.
The withdrawn impeachment articles were: Article I on confidential funds, Article III on bribery, and Article IV on assassination plot, grave threats, and inciting to sedition against President Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and former Speaker Martin Romualdez. —VAL, GMA News