Ilocos Norte 1st District Representative Sandro Marcos justified his decision to be the first to sign the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte, emphasizing his constitutional duty and the alleged threats made against his family.
The Presidential son reiterated that, as an elected representative, it is his duty to participate in the impeachment process.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. previously revealed that his son had asked for his advice regarding the impeachment complaint against the Vice President.
"Well, katulad po sa sinabi ng ating Pangulo ay nung nagpirmahan na sa impeachment complaint ay tinanong ko siya kung ano ba ang advice niya. And tama naman ‘yung sinabi niya," Rep. Marcos said in an interview with the media on Friday.
"He said ‘do your duty as a congressman and uphold your oath to the Constitution that you swore to protect'," he added.
Rep. Marcos cited a series of controversial statements made by Duterte as the reason for his decision to sign the impeachment complaint.
One of the statements included a threat to exhume the remains of the late former President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. from the Libingan ng mga Bayani and eventually throw it into the West Philippine Sea if the criticisms against her persisted.
He also referenced another statement from Duterte, mentioned in the impeachment complaint, in which she allegedly claimed to have hired someone to kill President Marcos, First Lady Liza Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez, should she be assasinated.
"Bakit naman nagugulat ang tao na pipirma ako diyan? You know, these are statements that can’t be taken lightly especially from someone with such a high position," Rep. Marcos stated.
"Of course, I’ll be the first one to sign. That should come as no surprise," he added.
Allegations that he led efforts to gather signatures for the impeachment complaint
Rep. Marcos shrugged off claims that he had spearheaded the effort for the fourth impeachment complaint against Duterte.
He further clarified that he was simply given the opportunity to sign the complaint, but he did not lead the effort nor persuade anyone to sign, emphasizing that those who signed did so of their "own volition."
However, he admitted that he sought the opinions of his fellow lawmakers to determine if they planned to sign, but that was the extent of his involvement in the matter.
Allegations of money involvements in the signing of impeachment
Rep. Marcos dismissed claims that money was involved in gathering the signatures, labeling them as part of a smear campaign by DDS aimed at discrediting the movement.
"No, I think that’s just part of mga fake news ng mga DDS [Duterte Diehard Supporters]. Parte po ‘yan ng smear campaign nila to discredit the movement," said Rep. Marcos.
"You can't blame them. Alam naman natin kung sino ang amo nila," he added.
With 215 lawmakers voting in favor, the House of Representatives approved the impeachment complaint on Wednesday, surpassing the 102-vote threshold needed to advance the case to the Senate.
The Senate will hold a trial to decide whether Duterte should be removed from office, but the proceedings will not begin until sessions resume in June.
