VP Sara Ready For Impeachment Trial, Wants ‘Bloodbath’

Her lawyers may be against letting her face a Senate impeachment trial, but Vice President Sara Duterte said she wants it to proceed because “I really want a bloodbath.”

In an ambush interview after attending a thanksgiving mass in Davao City, Duterte said she is ready to accept whatever the outcome of her impeachment trial is. 

She was in Davao to meet her brothers and other members of their family following their election victory.

“They are in full throttle in their preparations for the impeachment. Of course, they do not want a trial. As lawyers, we know how the lawyers work,” Duterte said. 

But she stressed her legal team is ready for her defense.

“They know various ways under the law as a legal recourse for their clients. I told them I truly want a trial because I really want a bloodbath,” she said.

“I don’t have expectations of an acquittal or guilty verdict. For me, I already accepted the verdict whether it is guilty or acquittal. I am already at peace,” Duterte said.

She stressed she does not know how the senators will vote in her trial.

“I think it is wrong to start counting votes now because they haven’t seen evidence yet. They haven’t seen what the prosecutors have, they have seen what the defense is, so it is wrong to count the votes without a trial… For me, I already accepted the ending of the impeachment,” Duterte said.

She declined to comment on a statement from the campaign manager of the Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas that it was her impeachment that explained the poor showing in the polls of the administration party’s Senate slate.

Earlier, Alyansa campaign manager Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco said the administration party lost votes in Mindanao after she was impeached by the House of Representatives. 

In a text message to The Philippine STAR on Saturday, May 17, Tiangco insisted that congressmen were forced to sign the impeachment complaint against the Vice President in exchange for the release of funds for projects in their respective congressional districts.

“Medical Assistance for Indigent Patients (MAIP) of each congressmen who did not sign the impeachment complaint against Duterte was also put on hold by the House leadership,” he said.

“Where did the problem of the administration start? The problem of the administration started when they (Congress) did not follow the budget of the President. So, when they are forcing to release the projects that are for conditional release, I thought at that time that this is the reason for the impeachment, to force the Executive branch to release the budget,” Tiangco said.

“I am saying this because the impeachment was self-inflicted. I tried to prevent them, but they did not listen. I told them that the senators of the administration will be affected. They don’t want to listen. So, that is what happened,” he added.

He claimed there was no “clamor” among members of Congress to impeach Duterte.

“The leadership of the House said that the congressmen themselves have the clamor to pursue the impeachment. Why are they twisting it? Isn’t it the congressmen, who signed, are the ones who said that the reason they signed is because the budget and assistance for their constituents will be stuck?” Tiangco said in a text message.

“They hostaged the congressmen, but it was their constituents who felt its effect,” he added, referring to the House leadership.

He belied the pronouncements from House Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. Jay-jay Suarez and House Assistant Majority leader and Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre that the impeachment did not affect the senatorial bid of the Alyansa senatorial candidates.

Tiangco said that while many of the congressmen who signed the impeachment complaint were reelected, voters in their districts had shunned Alyansa senatorial candidates.

“It means that when some of them ran unopposed or with opponents, they were not able to carry the senatorial candidates of Alyansa to victory,” he said.

Tiangco said the constituents of congressmen who did not sign the impeachment suffered because the implementation of the MAIP was put on hold.  –  With an additional report from Jose Rodeo Clapano