By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
While the citizenry’s clamor for the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte reached new heights after the Senate convened as an impeachment court late Monday, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano announced that the actual proceedings are bound to begin in June.
Cayetano noted that the brief pause in the progress of the trial can be attributed to various legal procedures in place to ensure the continuity of the hearings of the Articles of Impeachment against the government’s second-highest official.
This includes the 10-day non-extendible waiting period for VP Duterte’s reply to the summons and the copy of the Articles of Impeachment forwarded by the Office of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) to her camp on Wednesday, with the Office of the Vice President (OVP) eventually confirming receipt of these legal documents as of press time.
The leader of the 24-member institution added that this process can take another few weeks, as enshrined under Article 7 of House Resolution No. 39 (Resolution Adopting the Rules of Procedure on Impeachment Trials), noting that the chamber is also bound to conduct a pre-trial before proceeding with the main trial of the vice president.
Under the resolution, the prosecution panel may file its reply within 5 days upon the receipt of the summons and the Articles of Impeachment. Moreover, both the Prosecution and the Defense teams are authorized to file pleadings and annexes either in person or transmitted through electronic means.
Meanwhile, the Senate also took receipt of the “Formal Entry of Appearance” by the House Prosecution panel, which was submitted by House Secretary Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil on behalf of the 11 lawmakers nominated as House prosecutors.
The contingent, led by House Committee on Justice Chairperson and Batangas 2nd District Representative Gerville Luistro, is also comprised of 10 other members:
- Representative Joel Chua (Manila 3rd District)
- Representative Leila De Lima (Mamamayang Liberal Party-list)
- Terry Ridon (Bicol Saro Party-list)
- Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno (Akbayan Party-list)
- Ysabel Maria Zamora (San Juan City)
- Lordan Suan (Cagayan de Oro City 1st District)
- Jonathan Keith Flores (Bukidnon 2nd District)
- Lorenz Defensor (Iloilo 3rd District)
- Ramon Rodrigo “Rodge” Gutierrez (1-Rider Party-list)
- Arlene “Kaka” Bag-ao (Dinagat Islands, Lone District)
This brief lull in the progress of holding the vice president accountable for multiple charges of misconduct, especially during her tenure as DepEd secretary, all boils down to a numbers game within the plenary hall.
To put that into perspective, 13 of the 24 senators represent the majority, with the remaining 11 representing the minority. Two-thirds of the Chamber’s votes (equivalent to 16 senators) are needed to convict VP Duterte. (with report from Bernard Ferrer | PTV News)
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