Vice President Sara Duterte pushed back Wednesday, August 19, against the notion that showing up in person at her impeachment trial would move the proceedings along any faster, arguing that her lawyers’ participation already fulfills her role as the respondent.
Speaking to reporters in an ambush interview in Zamboanga City, she dismissed the idea that her physical presence carried procedural weight. “Hindi po totoo yun kasi fully represented ako noong ating defense team at sufficient yan na meron kang mga abogado doon na nagpa-participate doon sa process, yun ay para na rin pagdalo ng respondent sa impeachment,” she said.
The vice president framed her absence around a practical point: she is not the one arguing the case. “Dahil hindi naman ako abogado para sa impeachment doon so wala akong matutulong doon sa proseso ng pag-present ng witness, cross-examine ng witness, lahat yun ay trabaho,” she said, adding that presenting and cross-examining witnesses falls to her legal counsel. She characterized that work by her lawyers as standing in for her own appearance, saying, “At yan yung participation at appearance ko doon.”
Duterte tied her position to a broader call for speed. She said the trial should not drag on, invoking the constitutional guarantee of a swift resolution. “So dapat mabilis yung proseso kasi sa ating Constitution nandiyan yung speedy administration,” she said.
Her concern, she explained, was partly about public perception left in limbo by a slow process. “Nag-iisip yung mga tao, ano ba totoo ba na may ginawang masama, hindi ba totoo yung mga akusasyon,” she said, describing a public unsure whether the accusations against her hold any truth.
On the handling of the case itself, she pointed to a designated spokesperson and reiterated her confidence in her legal team. “Meron po kami spokesperson sa impeachment at binibigay ko po ang buong tiwala ko sa aming defense team at gusto lang sana namin ay mapabilis yung proseso dahil hindi pwedeng tumatagal yung proseso natin,” she said.
