Malacañang on Wednesday said the number of votes received by an elected official should not affect the outcome of an impeachment trial, stressing that accountability for alleged impeachable offenses remains the primary issue.
During the Palace press briefing, a reporter asked Palace Press Secretary Claire Castro to comment on the defense team's argument that the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte seek to overturn the mandate of more than 32 million voters who supported her in the 2022 elections.
The vice president's defense team had emphasized that Duterte received more votes than President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and any member of the House prosecution panel.
In response, Castro said electoral support cannot be used as a justification for disregarding possible impeachable offenses committed by a public official.
“Kung iyon ang susundin natin na reason o argumento, ibig mong sabihin kahit na 100% ng mga Pilipino ang boboto sa isang public servant, puwede niya siyang gumawa ng impeachable offenses dahil malaki naman yung boto niya? So, huwag nang pansinin yung mga impeachable offenses na diumano’y nagawa kasi binoto siya ng milyon o trilyon ng mga Pilipino,” Castro said.
Castro stressed that the Constitution provides impeachment as a mechanism to hold high-ranking public officials accountable for alleged abuses of power and violations of their duties.
“Hindi po ito tamang argumento, kaya nga po meron tayong provision sa Constitution ng impeachment. Dahil ito lamang po ang paraan na maaaring makapagpatalsik sa isang public servant na umaabuso ng kapangyarihan at nagsagawa ng mga impeachable offenses,” she said.
The Palace official emphasized that the proceedings should focus on accountability, transparency, and whether the official should be held liable for the accusations, rather than the number of votes received during elections.
“Hindi po usapan ito ng numero ng mga bumoto. Ang usapan po dito ay accountability, transparency, at of course, kung liable ka,” Castro added.
The impeachment trial of Vice President Duterte continues as the Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, hears arguments from both the prosecution and defense teams.
