Member of House Prosecution Panel Speaks on Duterte’s Impeachment Trial
The House prosecution panel is eyeing the filing of motion to inhibit ‘biased’ senator-judges in the impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte.
Countless Filipinos were surprised by the recent happenings with regards to the impeachment trial against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. Last Monday, Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero took his oath as the presiding officer of the impeachment court in the trial of the Vice President.
The oath-taking of Escudero was followed by the senators taking their oath as judges of the impeachment court the following day. All the senators except for three (3) of them skipped wearing the impeachment robes. They are known Duterte allies Senators Robin Padilla, Imee Marcos, and Cynthia Villar.
According to Sen. Imee Marcos, she and Sen. Robin Padilla find the impeachment robes “ugly” so they did not wear it. The actor-turned-Senator also came up with a resolution seeking for the dismissal of the impeachment case against Duterte.
Another known Duterte ally, Sen. Bato dela Rosa, also expressed his stand against the issuance of the summons against the Vice President. Dela Rosa who claimed that he is allegedly guided by the Holy Spirit expressed his belief that Duterte’s impeachment is no longer under the jurisdiction of the Senate following the remand.
The Senate approved the return of the articles of impeachment against Duterte with the 18-5 ruling. The senator judges have questions on the constitutionality of the impeachment case which a framer of the 1987 Constitution said is not within the role of the senator-judges.
Here are the senators who voted in favor of the remand of the articles of impeachment against Duterte and those who opposed the motion:
YES
- Alan Peter Cayetano
- Pia Cayetano
- Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa
- JV Ejercito
- Chiz Escudero
- Jinggoy Estrada
- Bong Go
- Lito Lapid
- Loren Legarda
- Imee Marcos
- Robin Padilla
- Bong Revilla
- Francis Tolentino
- Raffy Tulfo
- Joel Villanueva
- Cynthia Villar
- Mark Villar
- Juan Miguel Zubiri
NO
- Koko Pimentel
- Risa Hontiveros
- Sherwin Gatchalian
- Grace Poe
- Nancy Binay
Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero clarified that the return of the articles of impeachment against Duterte to the House does not mean that the case is dismissed. The House of Representatives maintained that the impeachment followed the rules in the Constitution. House Speaker Martin Romualdez called the remand as “deeply concerning”.
Recently, based on a report on PhilStar, the House prosecution panel confirmed that it is eyeing the filing of a motion that seeks the inhibition of the ‘biased’ or partial senator-judges in Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial. However, one of the prosecutors explained that they cannot divulge all their plans.
“Hindi po natin maaari i-disclose lahat ng aming gagawin, pero ‘yan na po ay pag-uusapan ano — pagbalik namin siguro or even bago magconvene ang bagong kongreso na pag-uusapan namin ‘yan,” Rep. Arnan Panaligan said.
However, for now, it is challenging on the part of the House as the Senate impeachment court has yet to begin formal proceedings. Based on the report, the House member stressed that there are a lot of options for them.
“May mga remedy naman maaaring gawin ng prosecution ano, magfile ng motion, lahat ‘yan. Hindi lang motion to inhibit, even ‘yung motion to subpoena yung mga records,” she said.
Amid the issue, Senator-elect Tito Sotto asserted that senator-judges should not make motions to maintain impartiality and neutrality. Also a former Senate President, Tito Sotto said he learned it from the late former Sen. Miriam Santiago that senator-judges should not raise motions but only seek clarifications.