Casiño vows Makabayan vote to convict impeached VP Duterte if they win Senate seats
Metro Manila, Philippines - Former lawmaker Teddy Casiño and his fellow candidates in the Makabayan coalition will vote to convict impeached Vice President Sara Duterte if they win in the senatorial elections.
Some Makabayan bets were among the complainants who sought before the House of Representatives the impeachment of Duterte over alleged betrayal of public trust due to abuse of her P612.5-million confidential funds, among other issues.
Casiño said their coalition turned this into one of their platforms to secure seats in the Senate, which will convene as an impeachment court.
“We already know the evidence, nadagdagan pa nga as the days go by, hindi nalang si ‘Piattos’ ngayon,” he said in the third episode of “Ang Kandidato: A NewsWatch Plus Election roundtable.”
[Translation: We already know the evidence, and more are piling up. It’s not only “Piattos” now.]
The former Bayan Muna representative referred to the alleged dubious names on the acknowledgement receipts of Duterte’s confidential fund spending.
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He assured that the vice president would still undergo a trial and due process.
“May nakita na kaming maling ginawa [We already saw wrongdoings],” Casiño said. “Ang sinasabi namin sa tao [What we are telling the public]: Vote for us so that we can hold Sara Duterte to account through the impeachment process, which is a constitutional process after all.”
Duterte on Tuesday said her lawyers were “more than confident” to win the impeachment trial.
She also endorsed the senatorial candidacies of re-electionist Imee Marcos, Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar, and the 10-member PDP Laban slate — but denied this was to help her in her impeachment case.
While having an 11-member slate, Makabayan bets are still far from the “Magic 12” in pre-election surveys.
Senate President Chiz Escudero previously said the impeachment trial will likely start in July under the 20th Congress.
