Gatchalian: Impeachment court remains impartial

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate impeachment court has remained impartial after six trial days in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment case, Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said.

Speaking in an interview yesterday on radio dzRH, Gatchalian said the impeachment court’s proceedings have so far been “smooth” and orderly despite public scrutiny over the conduct of some senators.

“We are very strict when it comes to impartiality. Our rules require senator-judges to remain impartial and prohibit them from discussing the merits of the case so they do not pre-judge it,” Gatchalian said.

He acknowledged that some observers have begun dividing senators into those perceived as sympathetic to Duterte and those seen as favoring the prosecution based on their questioning during the trial.

“We cannot control how the public interprets the questions asked by senators because everyone has different perspectives,” he said. “But it is still too early. We are only six days into what could be more than 100 days of trial.”

Gatchalian said the impeachment court is expected to tackle on Monday the prosecution’s request for subpoenas covering Duterte’s bank records, tax records and Anti-Money Laundering Council documents.

He said the court intends to resolve the issue early because gathering the requested records, some dating back to 2007, could take considerable time.

He described the subpoena dispute as a key issue in the impeachment proceedings because the documents are expected to be central to Article II of the complaint.

Shift to funds misuse

The impeachment trial is expected to shift its focus to Duterte’s alleged confidential funds misuse next week as the House prosecution may start presenting its evidence on July 22, House prosecutor Bicol SARO party-list Rep. Terry Ridon told The STAR’s “Truth on the Line” yesterday.

Ridon said the prosecution will soon wrap up its presentation of evidence on the fourth article of impeachment, which tackles the alleged threat of Duterte to have the President and his family killed, as it is expected to present its last witness, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag, on July 21.

The prosecution will then start its presentation on Article I of the articles of impeachment, which covers the alleged misuse of P612.5 million worth of confidential funds.

‘Communist’ remark

Sen. Robin Padilla yesteday explained that he was not referring to the Maoist-Leninist-Marxist ideology of armed struggle and violent revolution when he called himself a “communist” during the sixth day of Duterte’s impeachment trial.

Padilla said he was signifying the “Christian Communism of the early Christians and the Mu’akhat system that Prophet Muhammad enforced in Madinah.”

The senator drew flak and some laughter online when he called himself a communist during his interpellation of the prosecution witness NBI Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc. — Marc Jayson Cayabyab