Sen. Ping Lacson Speaks on Unnamed Fellow Senator-Judge Who Lecture Them
PING LACSON – The Senator expressed a cryptic message against a colleague in the Senate who supposedly lectures them since the impeachment trial started.
The impeachment trial of the Vice President has officially started and is on its third day today. Vice Pres. Sara Duterte visited the Senate yesterday but did not appear at the impeachment trial. Her visit was for the meeting with her legal team.
Duterte also refused to take questions. According to the Vice President, it is per the advice of her legal counsel, Atty. Michael Poa. She stressed that she will be “unbowed” in what is happening now.
On Monday, the senator-judges decided on the presiding officer of the impeachment court. Twelve (12) senators from the majority bloc rallied their support to Sen. Chiz Escudero who was nominated by Sen. Ping Lacson.
With 12 votes versus 8, Sen. Chiz Escudero was elected as the presiding officer of the impeachment court. All minority bloc senators opposed the election of Escudero.
Affirmative
- Senate Pres. Sherwin Gatchalian
- Senate President Pro Tempore Tito Sotto
- Senate Majority Leader Migz Zubiri
- Sen. Panfilo Lacson
- Sen. Kiko Pangilingan
- Sen. Bam Aquino
- Sen. Risa Hontiveros
- Sen. Joel Villanueva
- Sen. Erwin Tulfo
- Sen. Raffy Tulfo
- Sen. JV Ejercito
- Sen. Lito Lapid
Negative
- Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano
- Sen. Pia Cayetano
- Sen. Loren Legarda
- Sen. Bong Go
- Sen. Imee Marcos
- Sen. Mark Villar
- Sen. Camille Villar
- Sen. Robin Padilla
“I did not seek nor did I ask for this responsibility, but neither will I shirk from fulfilling this duty without fear or favor… As presiding officer, I shall do my part to uphold the fairness and integrity of this process and shall see it through to its proper conclusion,” Escudero expressed following his election as the presiding officer of the impeachment court.
Former Senate President and now minority leader Alan Peter Cayetano who said that he will not accept it even he would offered to be the impeachment court’s presiding officer stressed that Escudero’s election is allegedly against the Constitution. The minority bloc believes that it should be Senate Pres. Sherwin Gatchalian.
Recently, amid the impeachment trial of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte, Sen. Ping Lacson expressed praises on his fellow senator-judges for supposedly keeping their cool despite that a colleague of them kept lecturing them since the impeachment trial has started. Based on News5, Lacson also stated that it is as if their not being lawyers makes them fall short from rendering fair judgment.
“I commend my fellow senator-judges for keeping our cool and not engage a colleague who has been lecturing us since Day 1 of the impeachment trial, as if being not members of the bar, we will be less judicious in rendering fair judgment,” the Senator said based on the post.
On the second day of the impeachment trial, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano led the opening prayer and he sought help that the senator-judges “will be faithful with the Constitution”.