Logically, the defense panel, not a senator-judge, should be the one to move to dismiss the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte.
Incoming Senator Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson stressed this on Wednesday as he pointed out that senators acting as judges in the impeachment trial must not only appear but must act with the cold neutrality of an impartial judge.
“I would like to believe that a motion to dismiss belongs to the defense panel. And where have you seen a judge moving to dismiss a case?” Lacson, who had served as a senator-judge and may serve in the same capacity if the impeachment case crosses over to the 20th Congress, said in Filipino in an interview on Newswatch Plus.
In Filipino: Ping Lacson: Defense Panel, at Hindi Senator-Judge, ang Dapat Magpa-Dismiss ng Impeach Case vs VP Duterte