Former Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile Speaks on Senate over Impeachment of VP Sara Duterte
JUAN PONCE ENRILE – The former Senator asserted that the Senate should have acted immediately on the impeachment trial against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte.
Following an 18-5 voting, the Senate impeachment court recently ruled to return the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte to the House of Representatives. It is over the issue of the constitutionality of the impeachment as well as a request of reconfirmation from the 20th Congress.
Only Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel and senators Risa Hontiveros, Sherwin Gatchalian, Nancy Binay, and Grace Poe opposed the motion to remand the impeachment. According to Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero, the return of Duterte’s impeachment does not mean that the case is dismissed or terminated.
However, there are claims and speculations that there might be no more trial that will happen nor the remand is allegedly another way to delay it. The move gathered different reactions. Recently, former Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile expressed his side on the way that the Senate handled Duterte’s impeachment.
Enrile was one of the senator judges during the impeachment trial of former Pres. Joseph Estrada. He was also the presiding officer of the impeachment court during the trial of former Department of Justice (DOJ) Chief Renato Corona.
In an exclusive interview with Inquirer, former Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile said that he does not know if the rules have been changed but it is clear in the Constitution that the Senate should have acted swiftly on the impeachment of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. He believes that the upper chamber was slow in acting on the matter.
“The Senate is supposed to do its job with reasonable speed, for the Constitution says forthwith. Anybody can understand that English (word), and they did not do it, they tarried, they dilly-dallied,” he said.
Former Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile also stressed that the House of Representatives allegedly did its job — conducted hearings and submitted their findings to the Senate for resolution. The former Senator also reacted to the decision of the Senate impeachment court to remand the Articles of Impeachment against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte.
“Worse, they turned it back to the House and commanded the House which is improper and unparliamentary to do something that they have done. You must give a presumption of regularity to the other house, you cannot demand or command the other house which is your co-equal,” Enrile expressed.
Based on the report, former Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile expressed his speculation that the delay in the impeachment trial seemingly shows that Vice Pres. Sara Duterte does not want to face the trial. Amid the questions and the different reactions on the matter, Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero claimed that the impeachment court has no limitations to what it can or cannot decide.