The Senate and the Impeachment Court trying the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio should not interfere in the efforts of Sen. Rodante Marcoleta and Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada to participate in the trial, Senator-Judge Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said Sunday.
Lacson voiced concerns that the Senate, acting either as a legislative body or as the Impeachment Court, could be perceived as putting undue pressure on the Sandiganbayan, where plunder cases against the two senators are pending.
In Filipino: Lacson: Hindi Dapat Manghimasok ang Senado, Impeachment Court sa Pagsisikap nina Marcoleta, Jinggoy na Makilahok sa VP Impeachment Trial
“When we held a caucus, I voiced concern that we may be putting undue pressure on the Sandiganbayan. It is better to leave it to their lawyers to argue their cases if they want to participate via Zoom or online,” he said in English and Filipino in an interview on DZBB radio, when asked if the Senate would intervene.
“We’ll leave it to their lawyers because if we interfere, it would be like a court going up against another court. We may give the perception that we are intervening for two of our colleagues, if they would ask the anti-graft court to release them or allow them to be escorted to the trial,” he added.
Marcoleta has written to Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian and impeachment court Presiding Officer Francis Escudero insisting on his right to vote as a senator-judge despite being detained on plunder charges.
Estrada’s bid to attend the impeachment trial was junked by the Sandiganbayan last July.
Meanwhile, Lacson said he expects the Impeachment Court to gain valuable insights from the “amici curiae” or “friends of the court” whom it invited to advise it on the issue of the voting threshold for conviction in the Vice President’s impeachment trial.
Lacson said the four – retired Chief Justices Artemio Panganiban, Reynato Puno and Hilario Davide Jr. and Retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Adolfo Azcuna – were identified after Presiding Officer Francis Escudero consulted the prosecution and defense camps.
“We want to hear from them because they know much about the Constitution and the law. It is important to hear what they will say, word for word. I listen carefully to the witnesses who have testified and this will be much more so. No one has a monopoly of knowledge on the matter of voting threshold so we must all listen to them,” he said.
Lacson said that after hearing the amici curiae, the senator-judges are expected to vote on Senator-Judge Erwin Tulfo’s motion for reconsideration involving the 16-vote, or two-thirds-of-all-members, threshold for conviction.
Presiding Officer Escudero had earlier indicated that the 16-vote threshold for conviction was a ruling of the Impeachment Court.
“This is a novel scenario. It is only now that some senator-judges could possibly not attend the trial because some members are either detained, abroad, or in hiding,” Lacson said.
He also cited the potential scenario of nine senator-judges being incapacitated for one reason or another while the impeachment trial is ongoing.
“What if nine senator-judges are somehow incapacitated, will the impeachment trial still push through even if the conviction threshold stays at 16? We would be interested in hearing the amici curiae’s opinions on this,” he added.
Meanwhile, Lacson said the Vice President’s call for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s resignation does not have any impact on the Impeachment Court.
“It is of no moment. It was not within the four articles of impeachment. Anything she says outside the impeachment trial and is not related to the four articles should not have any impact on the impeachment court,” he said.
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Lacson: Hindi Dapat Manghimasok ang Senado, Impeachment Court sa Pagsisikap nina Marcoleta, Jinggoy na Makilahok sa VP Impeachment Trial
Hindi dapat manghimasok ang Senado at ang Impeachment Court na dumidinig sa impeachment case laban kay Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio sa pagsisikap nina Sen. Rodante Marcoleta at Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada na makilahok sa paglilitis, ayon kay Senator-Judge Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson nitong Linggo.
Nagpahayag ng pangamba si Lacson na maaaring mapag-interpretahan na nagbibigay ang Senado – bilang legislative body o Impeachment Court – ng undue pressure sa Sandiganbayan, kung saan nakabinbin ang mga kasong plunder laban sa dalawang senador.
“Noong nag-caucus kami, sinabi ko baka ang dating niyan, may undue pressure tayo sa Sandiganbayan. Kaya dapat let’s leave it to their lawyers i-argue ang case ni Sen. Marcoleta and Sen. Jinggoy kung gusto nilang bumoto o mag-participate via Zoom or online,” aniya sa panayam sa DZBB, nang tinanong kung “kikilos” ang Senado sa isyu.
“Pababayaan namin sa kanila yan. Kasi pag kami mismo nakialam di maganda yan, korte sa korte. Impeachment Court or Senado man, parang kami mag-appeal sa Sandiganbayan dahil kasamahan namin ang dalawa. So sa tingin ko hindi dapat gawin ng Senate or Impeachment Court na manghimasok sa usapin ng dalawa naming kasama, kung sila dudulog sa Sandiganbayan para pagbigyan ang kanilang kahilingan na i-release o escort sila kung may trial,” dagdag niya.
Sumulat si Marcoleta kay Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian at Impeachment Court Presiding Officer Francis Escudero upang igiit ang kanyang karapatang bumoto bilang senator-judge sa kabila ng pagkakadetine sa mga kasong plunder.
Ibinasura ng Sandiganbayan noong Hulyo ang kahilingan ni Estrada na dumalo sa impeachment trial.
Samantala, sinabi ni Lacson na inaasahan niyang makatutulong nang malaki sa Impeachment Court ang mga “amici curiae” o “friends of the court” na inimbitahan nito upang magbigay ng payo hinggil sa voting threshold para sa conviction sa impeachment trial ng Vice President.
Sinabi ni Lacson na ang apat—mga retiradong Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban, Reynato Puno at Hilario Davide Jr., at retiradong Supreme Court Associate Justice Adolfo Azcuna—ay napili matapos kumonsulta si Presiding Officer Francis Escudero sa prosecution at defense camps.
“Kaya gusto natin marinig ang mas may kaalaman sa Saligang Batas at batas, yan inaabangan natin kaya napakaimportante marinig natin word for word ang kanilang sasambitin pag sila nagtestify as amici curiae. Sa akin napakaimportante noon. Ako matimtim akong nakikinig sa testigo na nag-testify. Lalo dito kasi dito kami aasa. Walang may monopoly ng knowledge kung anong dapat tahakin patungkol sa usapin ng threshold so dapat makinig tayong lahat,” aniya.
Sinabi ni Lacson na matapos marinig ang mga amici curiae, inaasahang boboto ang mga senator-judge sa motion for reconsideration ni Senator-Judge Erwin Tulfo hinggil sa 16-boto, o two-thirds-of-all-members, na voting threshold para sa conviction.
Nauna nang sinabi ni Presiding Officer Escudero na ang 16-boto na threshold para sa conviction ay isang ruling ng Impeachment Court.
“Novel ito. Ngayon lang nangyari nagkulang-kulang ang senator-judges dahil may nasa ibang bansa, nagtatago, nakulong, o nasuspinde,” aniya.
Binanggit din niya ang posibleng sitwasyon na siyam na senator-judge ang mawalan ng kakayahang gampanan ang kanilang tungkulin sa isang kadahilanan o iba pa habang nagpapatuloy ang impeachment trial.
“Ibig bang sabihin ang 15 senator-judges, magpapatuloy pa rin ba sa pagdinig ng impeachment trial ng impeachable official kung alam ng lahat na moot and academic kasi hindi aabot sa 16 ang numero? Yan ang isang opinion na gusto naming marinig sa (amici curiae),” dagdag niya.
Samantala, sinabi ni Lacson na ang panawagan ni Vice President Duterte sa pagbitiw ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ay hindi nakakaapekto sa impeachment court.
“Of no moment. Sa akin, labas yan sa usapin ng apat na artikulo. Kung ano ang pagsasabihin niya outside the impeachment trial at walang kinalaman sa apat na articles, walang epekto dapat sa amin yan,” aniya.
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