Malacanang on Thursday reiterated that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has not changed his position on calls to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte, despite a seemingly contrary viewpoint taken by Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile on the matter. 

Enrile, in a Facebook post, earlier warned that the country may suffer a “very detrimental precedent” if it follows the logic implicit in the massive rally of religious group Iglesia Ni Cristo earlier this week.

Observers have noted Monday’s “National Rally for Peace” was in support of Marcos Jr’s opposition against move to impeach Duterte, even as the INC has clarified that the event was to call for peace and unity in the country. 

INC rally walang epekto sa impeachment complaints vs VP Sara ayon sa ilang kongresista

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said that while Enrile’s perspective on issues “is one of many that the President seriously considers”, the Philippine leader’s “stand on the issue concerned remains unchanged.”

“The President has always nurtured a culture of open ventilation of ideas within the Cabinet. In this way policymaking is enriched by diverse views resulting in decisions distilled from a wealth of varied experiences, different disciplines, and special expertise of those who contribute. It is in this spirit that Secretary Enrile came forward with his views,” Bersamin said.

This is the first time that President’s Chief Legal Counsel has publicly expressed a different perspective from that of the Chief Executive.

“There is a bigger question. Can the INC with all its members amend the Constitution or suspend any of its provisions? Are we prepared to discard or sacrifice the value of RULE OF LAW for a person or a group of persons?” Enrile said in his post.

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He pointed out that the impeachment is merely “a constitutional legal process to REMOVE a government official from his office if there is a ground and evidence to support it,” adding that the “impeached official is not going to jail by the mere fact of his impeachment.”

“The impeached official is not going to jail by the mere fact of his impeachment. As a nation and a state, we will incur a very detrimental precedent if we follow the logic implicit in the INC rally that they mounted. Are we prepared and ready to face the long term consequences of that INC move?” he said.