MANILA: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said he will play no role in determining the timing of his vice president's impeachment trial, now expected to take place following mid-term elections in May. Sara Duterte was impeached on Wednesday for "violation of the constitution, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and other high crimes".
After the lower house approved the petition, the Senate must convene a tribunal to try the vice president. If convicted, she will be removed from her post and barred from public office. In his first comments since the impeachment, Marcos said Duterte's trial date remains solely at the discretion of the Senate. "It's up to them how they decide to have the trial," he told reporters. While Duterte's one-time alliance with Marcos has imploded spectacularly over the past year, the president swatted down any suggestion he played a role in her impeachment process. - AFP
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