Senate president of 20th Congress will schedule next impeachment hearing
THE SENATE could only proceed with the impeachment trial of Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio once she and House of Representatives prosecutors submit their written responses to the impeachment court’s summonses, according to its chief.
At a news briefing on Monday, Senate President Francis G. Escudero noted that before the Senate adjourned last week, it ruled that the Senate president of the incoming 20th Congress would be the one to schedule the next hearing.
“Officially, we have not received anything regarding the orders we gave,” he told reporters. “All responses that I have read were on social media but (we have) not officially received anything from the House or from the [Vice-President].”
Last week, the Senate convened as an impeachment court and ordered the Vice-President to respond to its summons within 15-days. House prosecutors were given five days to reply to her comment within five days.
Meanwhile, Ms. Duterte said her legal team was reviewing the summons issued by the impeachment body last week.
“I have not yet read the summons,” she told a livestreamed news briefing from Davao City. “It is with my lawyers, and they will decide on what to do with it.”
Mr. Escudero said the House does not have a deadline to attest to the validity of the articles of impeachment against Ms. Duterte.
“They can only file it until June 30 because they won’t have the authority to file it after June 30,” he said. “But there is no deadline, so if they don’t file it, they can file that attestation in the 20th Congress.”
Mr. Escudero has been under fire from critics who accuse him of delaying Ms. Duterte’s trial. She was impeached as early as Feb. 5.
Last week, the Senate sitting as an impeachment court sent back the charges to the House to certify that it did not violate the 1987 Constitution when it impeached the Vice-President.
Ms. Duterte said senator-judges should not be urged to recuse themselves from the impeachment proceedings based on their political bias, amid calls for her allies in the Senate including Senators Ronald M. Dela Rosa, Maria Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos and Robinhood Ferdinand “Robin” C. Padilla to inhibit themselves from the trial.
Otherwise, senators against her should also be barred from sitting as judges, she pointed out.
“We can’t have senator-judges inhibited based on bias because their positions are only whether they are for or against [me],” she added.
Ms. Duterte singled out Senator Ana Theresia N. Hontiveros-Baraquel, who had repeatedly pushed for the Senate to convene as an impeachment court. Her media officer did not immediately reply to a Viber message seeking comment.
The House impeached Ms. Duterte in February, alleging secret fund misuse, unexplained wealth, acts of destabilization and plotting the assassination of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., his family and the Speaker. She has denied any wrongdoing.
The impeachment complaint was filed and signed by more than 200 congressmen, more than one-third vote required by law before it could be sent to the Senate. — Adrian H. Halili
