MANILA, Philippines – Patunay ng ‘disservice’ sa mga Filipino at may kinikilingan, ang planong pagbasura ng Senate impeachment court sa reklamo laban kay Vice President Sara Duterte nang hindi dumadaan sa pagdinig ng mga ebidensya.
Matatandaan na sinabi ni Senate President Francis Escudero na maaaring bumoto ang impeachment court upang ibasura agad-agad ang impeachment complaint laban kay Duterte sa pamamagitan ng majority vote.
“At the end of the day, ano ba yung basis ng motion to dismiss? Each Senator should act as an impartial judge, whether or not they are in favor of the accused or not,” pahayag ni Manila Rep. Ernix Dionesio.
“Doon mo makikita na may pinapanigan agad kapag nagmo-motion to dismiss without hearing a piece or pieces of evidence. Wala pang pinipresentan, gusto na nalang i-dismiss,” dagdag ng mambabatas.
“The people are watching, history will write itself now. We don’t want to overstep, but it is our opinion that the impeachment is the best way to see whether or not guilty or not guilty after [the Senator-judges] seeing the pieces of evidence,” ayon pa kay Dionesio.
Ganito rin ang sentimyento ni Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila De Lima sa naging hakbang nga ilang senador, mula pa nang ibalik sa Kamara ang Articles of Impeachment.
“Hindi na natin naiintindihan. He has been showing that kind of posturing, as if the 1987 Constitution is not there, as if the 1987 Constitution is not clear enough,” sinabi ni De Lima sa isang panayam.
“Because for us, it’s clear enough na once transmitted na yung Articles of Impeachment to the Senate, yung start na ng proceedings. And what are they doing now? They attempted at first na yung de facto dismissal na in-introduce, minove ni Sen. Bato. And then nagkaroon ng parang semi-solomonic solution na prinopose ni Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano about that remand. You know, that remand to me, that is an ultra vires act. Yung hindi yan, I don’t think, kasama yan sa powers ng Senate as an impeachment court,” dagdag niya.
Ani Escudero, walang pinagbabawalang mosyon sa impeachment proceedings.
“Puwede ba? Huwag nyo namang subukan na… Sinusubukan nila kung ano mga strategy, mga moves, and steps para masabotahe yan, para hindi matuloy yung trial. That is not what the Constitution has envisioned for the Senate as an Impeachment Court,” tugon naman dito ni De Lima.
Nang tanungin kung ano ang motibo ni Escudero rito, sinabi ni De Lima na “Ang hirap kasi mag-speculate ng mga real motives.”
“Hindi maiiwasan yung mga agam-agam na this is part of a plan. I don’t know if this is coordinated, this is something that is consciously being made by the parties, meaning the defense, and then yung senators mismo as an impeachment court,” dagdag pa niya.
Naghihinala si De Lima na nais iwasan ng depensa ang impeachment trial.
“Yung mga posturing nila, hindi sila takot sa impeachment and she’s even asking for bloodbath. Despite that, their real agenda is to really avoid trial, avoid presentation of the evidence at all costs. So they were going to try all tricks in the law books or in the trial books para lang iwas hanggat makakaisip sila ng strategy, hanggat makakaisip sila ng pleadings to be filed, hanggang makakaisip sila ng motions to be put forward either by the defense itself or by a senator judge.”
Idinipensa naman ni De Lima ang pahayag ni Escudero laban sa mga House prosecutor na ang mga ito ay matitigas ang ulo.
“Wala akong nakikita na paglabag man lang on the part of the House of Representatives o yung hindi pagrerespeto sa Konstitusyon on the part of the House of Representatives. Ang mas nakikita natin ay yung sa side ng Senate,” ani de Lima.
“They’re trying to play dumb and then also they’re blind and not cognizant of the very essence of impeachment as envisioned by the 1987 Constitution,” dagdag pa.
Samantala, sinabi naman ni Lanao Del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong na dapat ibase ng mga senator-judge ang desisyon kung dapat i-convict o i-acquit ang isang impeachable official sa merito ng reklamo sa halip na ibasura ito agad-agad.
“I still maintain my optimism that they will decide based on the merits of the evidence. There are senators who have already prejudged the outcome or already have their own leanings, their own biases,” pahayag naman ni Adiong.
“Wala naman problema if they vote for either to convict or to acquit. Basta ang position lang po namin is to respect what the Constitution says and let the impeachment process proceed,” dagdag pa nito.
Matatandaan na inihain ang impeachment complaint ng mahigit 200 mambabatas noong Pebrero 5 na nag-aakusa kay Duterte ng betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, at iba pang krimen partikular sa umano’y maling paggamit ng P612.5 milyong halaga ng confidential funds, at pagbabanta na papatayin si Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr., asawang si Liza, at pinsan ng Pangulo na si Speaker Martin Romualdez of Leyte.
“It’s not the question of can they do it? It’s the question of why should they do it?” ani Adiong.
“There is a verified impeachment na complaint… allegations that constitutes high crimes, tantamount to betrayal of public trust, among others, laid down in the Constitution…the public deserves to know the truth,” dagdag pa nito.
Magsisilbing hustisya rin aniya para sa Bise Presidente ang full-blown presentation of evidence sa isang impeachment trial.
“The only way for us to find out the truth and at the same time give due process to the defendant is to continue with the impeachment trial.” RNT/JGC
