Marcos tells House: Don't impeach Sara

On mending ties: Never say never

- By HELEN FLORES

Even as relations between him and Vice President Sara Duterte continue to deteriorate, President Marcos said he does not support the impeachment of the country's second highest official as it would not benefit the Filipino people.

In a chance interview yesterday in Lucena City, Quezon, Marcos was asked to confirm a message that allegedly came from him and is circulating online, asking his allies to stop any impeachment effort against Duterte.

The text quoted the President as saying, "In the larger scheme of things, Sara is unimportant. So please do not file impeachment complaints."

"It was actually a private communication, but it was leaked already. Yes, because that's really my opinion. This is not important. This does not make any difference to even one single Filipino life. So why waste time on this?" Marcos told reporters.

"What will happen if somebody files an impeachment? It will tie down the House, it will tie down the Senate. It will just take up all our time, and for what? For nothing, for nothing. None of this will help improve a single Filipino life," Marcos said.

"As far as I'm concerned, it's a storm in a teacup," he added.

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) chairman Teodoro Casiño said Marcos should reconsider his stand on Duterte’s possible impeachment, saying holding accountable government officials accused of corruption, whether by impeachment or cases filed before the Office of the Ombudsman or Sandiganbayan, is “never a waste of time and resources.”

“While we do not expect the President to intervene in the impeachment of Vice President Duterte, it is improper for him to dismiss efforts to hold her accountable through this process. In fact, not doing so is a betrayal of the public interest and the people’s trust,” Casiño said in a statement.