Bishop opposes impeaching Duterte, Robredo

MANILA— A waste of time.

This was how Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez of the Marbel diocese in Mindanao described the separate impeachment raps against President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Leni Robredo.

“These impeachment cases, that is wasting time. Although it’s your right, but one should ask if it is right at this time that we be apart, when we should be united,” Gutierrez said over Church-run Radio Veritas.

In what could be a first in the world, the president and the vice president are facing impeachment complaints.

Duterte was the first to face an impeachment case filed by retired military officer and Magdalo Party-list Rep. Gary Alejano over alleged culpable violation of the Constitution and corruption, among others.

Robredo, on the other hand, was slapped with an impeachment complaint by known Marcos loyalist Oliver Lozano of the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan.

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez earlier said Robredo had committed an impeachable offense following her video message to a United Nations forum attacking Duterte’s war on drugs.

Duterte had publicly criticized Robredo for supposedly supporting moves to oust him.

Instead of political bickering, Bishop Gutierrez called on government leaders to unite and address the country’s problems such poverty and unemployment.

“Let us work together to solve the problems, not to put each one down,” he said.

The prelate lamented how government leaders have been preoccupied with destroying one another’s reputations.

“We are a very divided country. Instead of loving one another and helping one another to become better, we are trying to put down everybody. That is not the work of God. That is the work of the devil,” said Gutierrez.  CBCPNews