VP failed to address accusations

LAWMAKERS on Tuesday criticized Vice-President (VP) Sara Duterte-Carpio’s defense to the impeachment charges against her, saying her replies sidestepped the accusations instead of offering substantive answers.

Ms. Duterte wasted the chance to reject the allegations fueling the impeachment drive against her, with her reply reading more like a plea for a congressional panel to dismiss the complaints than a direct defense, Batangas Rep. Gerville R. Luistro, who heads the House Justice Committee, said.

“It looks like a motion to dismiss,” she told DZMM radio in mixed English and Filipino. “It is clear in our impeachment rules that a motion to dismiss is a prohibited pleading in these proceedings.”

“It was a wasted opportunity to address all the alleged offenses and grounds,” she added.

Ms. Duterte’s legal team spokesman Michael T. Poa did not immediately reply to a Viber message seeking comment.

On Monday, Ms. Duterte asked the Justice committee to dismiss the impeachment charges against her, saying the allegations lacked evidence and were based on speculation. The cases, she said, lacked statements of “ultimate facts” and “recycle the same accusations” thrown against her in last year’s impeachment push.

“Considering that the answer is not responsive to the complaint, it appears the allegations by the complaints remain unrebutted,” Ms. Luistro said.

The Justice committee early this month found two of the four complaints against Ms. Duterte “sufficient in substance,” moving the bid to remove the Vice-President to the next stage of the process that will determine whether the charges have merit and should be discussed further.

The Vice-President faces a range of accusations, including claims she misused hundreds of millions of pesos in secret funds under the Office of the Vice-President and the Education department during her time as its secretary.

The complaints also include accusations she amassed wealth disproportionate to her income, efforts to destabilize the government and plotting to assassinate President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., his wife and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, charges which she has denied.

Also on Tuesday, a group of clergymen and civil society representatives waived their right to reply to Ms. Duterte’s answer to the allegations, saying she “conspicuously failed to specifically deny each and every material allegation.”

“Despite the gravity of the accusations against her, and the unmistakable public character of the funds she is charged of misappropriating, respondent ultimately said nothing to defend herself,” they said in a three-page document shared with reporters.

Ms. Duterte failed to “deny the material allegations” to the impeachment charges, Nathaniel G. Cabrera, who filed a complaint against the Vice-President, said in a two-page response. He also waived his right to reply to Ms. Duterte’s claims.

“The answer does not squarely traverse the ultimate facts alleged and effectively amounts to a non-answer,” he said.

Ms. Luistro said the Justice committee is set to take up on Wednesday, “preliminary matters” on the impeachment proceedings, as the 39-member body eyes holding hearings even during the six-week congressional break.

“We are inclined already to really proceed to hearing the impeachment complaints during recess,” she said. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio