‘Sara will not resign’

National

VICE President Sara Duterte will not resign. Lawyer Paolo Panelo, the vice president’s spokesman, said this amid reports that the senators have already made up their minds on her impeachment trial.

“She will not resign – that is clear. It is clear that she will remain in office, because the Filipinos elected her to serve as the Vice President. She will not resign from office. She knows that she is innocent of what she is being accused of,” Panelo told reporters in a chance interview at the Senate per a report by Philstar.

Legal experts are divided on the implications of a potential resignation by Duterte. Some lawyers suggest that stepping down before a guilty verdict is reached could shield her from the penalty of disqualification from public office.

By resigning, Duterte may pursue her presidential bid in 2028, some lawyers said.

Other legal experts, however, said resignation won’t stop the trial and that disqualification automatically goes hand-in-hand with conviction.

It remains uncertain whether or not Duterte will appear in the ongoing impeachment trial.

“Let’s just wait and see. We cannot speculate. We can’t say this early because it’s only Day 1 of our (defense) trial,” Panelo said.(MyTVCebu)