MANILA — Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro on Saturday said the Senate has the constitutional authority to conduct an impeachment trial, responding to criticism from allies of Vice President Sara Duterte over the Senate’s threshold voting on the impeachment process.
Castro said the impeachment trial falls within the Senate’s jurisdiction under the Constitution, arguing that its process should be respected.
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“The Senate has its own mandate, and conducting an impeachment trial falls squarely within its jurisdiction,” said Castro.
Castro further said the Constitution would be undermined if corruption were defended out of political loyalty or if unlawful killings of innocent people were normalized under the guise of “dispensing justice.”
“Our constitution will be rendered futile if the Filipino people begin to defend acts of corruption of their nefarious political idols or if they normalize the unlawful execution of innocent people under the guise of dispensing justice,” she added.
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Meanwhile, Castro criticized the Vice President’s defense of the allegations against her, saying responses to accusations should be backed by evidence.
“Maturuan sana ang Bise Presidente na matuto siyang sumagot ng may ebidensya sa mga inaakusa sa kanya bago magturo ng iba,” Usec. Castro remarked.
“She needs to level up her defending skills so she can appear credible, if only for once,” she added.