MANILA, Philippines – Ikinasa ng minorya sa pamumuno ni Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III nitong Lunes ng hapon, Hunyo 9 na tipunin ang Senado bilang impeachment court upang litisin ang kasong kinahaharap ni Vice President Sara Duterte.
Sa kanyang privileged speech sa plenary session, hiniling ni Pimentel ang mga sumusunod:
that the Senate’s legislative business be suspended;
that the Senate already convene as an impeachment court at this very moment;
that the Senate President immediately take his oath as presiding officer of the impeachment court;
that the Senate President/presiding officer administer the oath or affirmation to all the members of the Senate now present;
that the impeachment court then call the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte and come up with a calendar for the trial;
that on June 10, 2025, at 2 p.m. the impeachment court call the impeachment case for the presentation and reading of the articles of impeachment by the panel of prosecutors of the House of Representatives; and
that a writ of summons be issued to the impeached officer.
Sinugundahan naman ni Risa Hontiveros ang mosyon.
“Trial is the most fair course of action because the people need to know if their representatives acted properly and justly, by hearing the evidence used by them in filing the impeachment case, and, in the name of due process, we need to give the impeached officer the chance to defend himself or herself and clear his or her name,” ayon kay Pimentel.
Binanggit ni Pimentel ang kahalagahan ng pagsisimula ng paglilitis na nakatakda sa Saligang Batas. Magkakaroon ng hatol kung nagkasala o hindi si Duterte sa pagtatapos ng paglilitis.
“Mr. President, my dear colleagues, any further delay not only undermines the explicit mandate of the Constitution and our rules. It risks eroding public trust in the Senate’s capacity and capability to uphold the accountability of public officers and the rule of law,” ani Pimentel.
“Not only do many believe that the Senate is heading to a no-trial scenario, worse, many have opined that simply by inaction or by merely refusing to convene as the impeachment court, the Senate seems to believe that it can effectively dismiss or defeat an impeachment complaint duly filed and transmitted by the House of Representatives,” aniya.
Sinabi naman ni Hontiveros na dapat nang simulan ng Senado ang impeachment trial laban kay Duterte nang “agad-agad at walang hindi dapat maantala pa.”
“Hindi po mahirap intindihin ang utos, sa sinumang tapat ang intensyong sundin ito. Ang paglilitis ay dapat agarang simulan, nang walang pag-iwas o iba pang pagpapaliban,” ani Hontiveros.
“I am here before you to also appeal to the deeper purpose of the law. And the spirit of the impeachment power is unmistakable: it is accountability. It is to ensure that no public officer, however powerful, is above the Constitution,” dagdag niya.
Nakatakda sa Article XI Section 3(4) ng 1987 Constitution na nagsasabing: “In case the verified complaint or resolution of impeachment is filed by at least one-third of all the Members of the House, the same shall constitute the Articles of Impeachment, and trial by the Senate shall forthwith proceed.” Ernie Reyes
