Sara not stressed by impeach raps?

MANILA, Philippines — So who’s getting stressed?

A Facebook fan page of Vice President Sara Duterte says that she was shopping for flowers on the night that members of the House of Representatives voted to impeach her.

The Office of the Vice President (OVP) has yet to confirm whether the photo of Duterte posing with a flower shop owner in an undisclosed area is authentic. The fan page uploaded the photo Wednesday night.

“SINONG STRESSED? As of 11:15 p.m. today, namili lang si VP ng flowers,” read the post on partisan Facebook page Super Inday: Mahalin Natin ang Pilipinas.

Duterte has not entertained questions from the media since her impeachment on Wednesday. But she is expected to read a statement to the press today.

In her hometown in Davao City, her brother Mayor Sebastian Duterte called on voters  to reject the lawmakers who signed to have her impeached.

“You are dismayed by those congressmen who signed? If they give you something to buy your vote, accept it, just don’t vote for them so you can get even. It’s that easy,” Mayor Duterte posted on Threads yesterday. “That’s our money so we should accept it,” a netizen commented.

“More ayuda but no votes,” another Duterte supporter said.

But others spoke strongly against accepting anything from those who signed to impeach the Vice President.

“If somebody will approach to buy my vote, I will double it and staple it on their lips,” one netizen said.

Other netizens vowed not to vote for allies of Speaker Martin Romualdez even if they did not sign the impeachment complaint. “I will still not vote for those who did not sign but are paid by the other camp,” one said.

Former presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the move to impeach Duterte was part of the grand plan of the Marcoses to “stay in power forever.”

“The mandate given by 32 million voters to VP Sara was disregarded and why? We know that this is part of the plan of the administration to allow the Marcoses  (to stay) in power forever,” Roque, who is in hiding, said.

“If PBMM (President Marcos) will be able to finish his term, tambaloslos will be next, and then afterwards it will be Sandro Marcos, so Marcos forever,” Roque said, apparently referring derisively to Romualdez. Marcos and Romualdez are first cousins.

It was Duterte who first mentioned the word tambaloslos – referring to Romualdez – on her Instagram account on May 21, 2023, where she captioned her selfie with, “Sa imong ambisyon, do not be tambaloslos.” Duterte’s post came after she announced her resignation from the Lakas-CMD.

“Their strongest basis was the confidential funds (of the Vice President), which was too small compared to the confidential fund of the President,” Roque claimed. Roque served as spokesman for former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Presidential sister Sen. Imee Marcos, for her part, vowed to do her best to block the impeachment of Duterte. “I will fight that until the very end,” she said.

The senator said she doesn’t want any impeachment proceedings in the Senate because she does not want any conflict.

“I don’t like impeachment, destabilization, revolutionary government, resignation. I don’t want chaos… Ayaw ko ng gulo!” Marcos said. “This is shameful! There are so many more pressing problems in the country.”

Marcos issued the statement despite a plea from Senate President Francis Escudero for the senators – who will serve as impeachment court judges – to refrain from commenting about the case.

“I would admonish and keep reminding the senators – who will surely be part of the impeachment court either in the 19th or 20th Congress – to kindly please refrain from talking one way or another for or against impeachment,” Escudero said at the Kapihan sa Senado yesterday.

But Escudero admitted that in the end he is powerless in controlling the demeanor of the senators, especially the reelectionists who may be carried away by their emotions during campaign speeches.

“They can praise Vice President Sara to the heavens all they want – just don’t connect it with the impeachment,” Escudero said.

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police will deploy appropriate number of police officers to ensure peace and security should supporters of the Vice President hold rallies to protest her impeachment and impending trial by a Senate impeachment court.

At a briefing at Camp Crame, Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo Fajardo, PNP’s concurrent spokesperson and Central Luzon police director, said police units nationwide are on standby and ready for deployment should  Duterte’s supporters mobilize for street demonstrations.

In Metro Manila, the National Capital Region Police Office has put on alert its regional mobile force battalion in anticipation of rallies against Duterte’s impeachment.

Stressing the impeachment process is a political exercise, Fajardo said the PNP will stay out of the issue and will just limit its role in maintaining peace and order.

“We just have to respect the decision of Congress,” she said.

Fajardo urged Duterte’s supporters to follow the rule of law when holding rallies, adding that police officers will not prevent them from exercising their rights to express themselves in public.-  Bella Cariaso, Diana Lhyd Suelto, Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Emmanuel Tupas