Senator Robin Padilla: VP Duterte, an impeachable officer, should have legal immunity similar to President Marcos

Senator Robinhood Padilla argued on Monday that Vice President Sara Duterte should enjoy the same legal immunity from suit accorded to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., as she faces criminal charges over alleged grave threats.

In a manifestation during the Senate session, Padilla acknowledged that while the 1987 Constitution does not expressly grant the Vice President immunity from suit, it also contains no provision explicitly denying it.

Padilla stressed that the underlying purpose of legal immunity is to safeguard high-ranking officials from court actions that could disrupt their official duties.

“Ang konsepto at layunin ng immunity from suit ay ang protektahan ang isang impeachable officer laban sa harassment, distraction, at mga kasong maaaring makahadlang sa kanyang opisyal na tungkulin,” said Padilla, a vocal ally of the Duterte family.

“Kung ang ganitong prinsipyo ay naaangkop sa pangulo, bakit hindi ito ilapat sa bise presidente?” he added.

Padilla’s statements follow an arrest warrant issued last Friday by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court against Duterte over three counts of grave threats.

She posted P360,000 bail the following day.setup stems from an online press conference on November 23, 2024, in which Duterte publicly stated she had instructed an assassin to kill Marcos, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez if she herself were killed.

The alleged statements form part of the grounds for ongoing impeachment proceedings against the Vice President.

Citing Ombudsman v. Court of Appeals, Padilla contended that the Supreme Court decision prohibits filing criminal cases against impeachable officials while in office, particularly when the alleged offense mirrors the grounds of an active impeachment complaint.

“Hindi natin pwedeng lampasan ang prosesong ito dahil lamang mas madali o mas convenient ang ibang paraan,” Padilla argued, maintaining that constitutional processes must take precedence over shortcut legal remedies.

-Paraluman News