(ABS-CBN) He added: “The situation, I know the situation is very tense. The President has already spoken. Sana nga ay mabawas-bawasan ang tensyon and I think one factor that can lead to kahit konting reconciliation lang is siguro Senator Imee Marcos, who is a friend of the Vice President, and of course, the sister of the President.”
“Huwag na. Tigilan na natin ‘yan. It will just cause divisiveness among our countrymen. Tama na ‘yung EDSA Uno, tama na ‘yung EDSA Dos. Tama na. We don’t need that. We don’t need that right now. There’s a lot of pressing problems in our country that needs to be attended to,” he said.
Estrada’s father, former president Joseph Estrada, was removed from power in the 4-day bloodless revolt in 2001, while the incumbent’s father, President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos, was ousted in 1986 in a similar non-violent revolution in 1986 on the country’s main national highway, EDSA.
Sen. Joel Villanueva said the ongoing infighting pushes both camps to be more accountable and transparent to the public.
“I think we should all be concerned. The only good thing that can come out about this is the fact that we get to know a lot of things na some of which are only ano to both camps available to both camps yung transparency makita natin and the 2 parties are pushing each other to be more accountable of what they are doing so that’s the only good thing about it,” Villanueva said.
Duterte ally Senator Ronald dela Rosa, for his part, maintained that the vice-president is only pushing back on the persecution against her.
“Very unfortunate bakit nagkaganito tayo,” dela Rosa said, “As I’ve said si Inday Sara naman, VP Sara naman puro lang yan reaction to what they are doing to her. If you want to address the situation, you address the action, not the reaction. The action is yung panggigipit sa kaniya ng Malacanang at ng House of Representatives kaya nagkakaroon siya ng ganoong klaseng reaction.”
“So you don’t have to focus on the reaction. You focus on the action that stimulates that reaction,” Dela Rosa said.
Dela Rosa notes Duterte has been singled out over her use of confidential funds when other agencies have also been using similar funds.
“Bakit ‘di ma-explain? Hinihearing nga nila eh, saka bakit nila sila naka-zero sa OVP? Gaano kalaki ang confidential fund ng Office of the President? Bakit di nila imbetsigahan yun? Yung House, yung Senate, gaano kalaki kung meron man bakit di imbestigahan, lahat ng ahensiya na merong ganoong klaseng item sa kanilang budget dapat imbestigahan natin bakit nakatutok lang doon atsaka yung basis nila yung palaging allowance ng COA, disallowance is temporary kung maayos mo na yun mawawala na yung disallowance bakit doon sila nag maximize,” Dela Rosa said.
Over the weekend, Senate President Francis Escudero already called for a de-escalation of political tensions.
READ: Escudero appeals for calm after VP Sara Duterte’s rants
“She should keep in mind that as a public official, she has a duty to set an example for the personnel in the Office of the Vice President and our fellow Filipinos, especially our children,” Escudero said.
“I urge those who are close to her—those who truly care about her as a person and as a leader—to advise her to refrain from making these indecorous and possibly criminal statements in public. These do not benefit the Vice President, her office, or our country,” Escudero said.
“Our government has urgent and pressing concerns it must address—matters that directly affect the lives and livelihoods of the Filipino people. It is imperative that we as public officials focus our energy and attention on resolving these issues,” he added.
“If she is struggling, I sincerely hope she seeks and is provided with the help she may need so she can regain calm and composure, and properly discharge her duties as Vice President,” Escudero said.
“I implore the Vice President to review and assess her recent actions and words spoken and determine if her statements meet this standard,” he said.
“Let us all strive to have prudence, reason and dignity in our words and actions for the good of the nation and the people we are duty-bound serve,” he said.