By Brian Campued
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. maintained that he does not want Vice President Sara Duterte to get impeached, reiterating that the matter now lies in the hands of Congress.
In a media interview following the 46th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Tuesday, the President stressed that he has consistently made clear his stance in the proceedings, “How many times do I have to say that? I didn’t want impeachment.”
“Lahat ng kakampi ko sa Kongreso hindi nag-file ng impeachment complaint. ‘Yong mga nag-file ng impeachment complaint, hindi mo masasabing kaya kong utusan o pagsabihan na ito ‘yong gagawin mo.”
When talked about his openness to a possible reconciliation with the Duterte family, Marcos rejected the idea of setting any certain conditions.
“That’s not how reconciliation works. You don’t put conditions to reconcile,” the President said, emphasizing that the matter should be resolved through dialogue and open discussion, “Pero ‘yong sasabihin mo, hindi ako makikipag-usap hanggang ibigay mo sa akin ito, ito, ito, ito, eh walang pupuntahan ‘yan… That’s not even a negotiation; that’s demanding.”.
The Chief Executive likewise downplayed the recent Pulse Asia survey indicating a significant drop in his trust rating compared to the Vice President and her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.
“Madaming ibang survey. Let’s not base it on one,” Marcos said, stressing the importance of verifying data and checking other sources before making decisions.
“Let’s look at other surveys before we [decide]. Know your source… Imperfect information makes you make imperfect decisions. The more perfect your information, the more perfect your decision will be,” he added. (with report from Kenneth Paciente / PTV News)
-jpv
