By Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio, Reporter
THE IMPEACHMENT trial of Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio should proceed without further delay to reassure investors about the country’s political stability, a House of Representatives spokesman said on Tuesday.
A swift trial would also let senators promptly return to their legislative work, ensuring they can focus on economic policymaking without prolonged disruption, Antonio Audie Z. Bucoy, spokesman for the House prosecution team, told a news briefing.
“As this drags on… people become confused,” he said in Filipino. “And what happens? They get angry, they rally, they protest. For foreign investors, this is not good. What they want is stability.”
Senate President Francis G. Escudero has come under fire from critics who accuse him of delaying Ms. Duterte’s trial. She was impeached by the House as early as Feb. 5.
The Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, last week sent the ouster charges back to the House to certify that it did not violate the Constitution when it impeached the Vice-President. The trial is expected to start in late July under the 20th Congress.
Ms. Duterte’s trial should proceed without delay, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman George T. Barcelon said by telephone.
“We have to settle that to reduce the political background noise because it affects the country’s ability to project that it’s politically stable,” he said.
“Will there be a swift trial?” Mr. Bucoy asked. “It doesn’t look that way. There’s so much foot-dragging on the part of the impeachment court.”
He said delaying the trial would waste the time of senator-judges. “The Senate’s attention is being diverted instead of focusing on passing laws that would benefit the economy.”
Legislation in the Philippines requires approval by a bicameral Congress and the signature of the President.
Senators must prioritize impeachment proceedings over legislative duties until a final judgment is rendered, according to the Senate’s March rulebook.
“Under the rules of impeachment, the trial must be given priority, requiring senators to pause their legislative work and focus on the proceedings,” Mr. Bucoy said. “This divides their attention, which is not ideal.”
Meanwhile, the prosecution panel might seek the inhibition of some senators with “perceived bias” for Ms. Duterte, he said.
“This matter is being discussed. However, if this would cause delays, perhaps it is best to set it aside,” he added.
He also said House prosecutors would file their pleadings before the impeachment court in the coming days. “Within the next few days, there will be a presentation.”
“It could be a motion or a manifestation,” he said. “Either way, it will seek to clarify the order,” he added, referring to the Senate decision to return the impeachment complaint to the House.
Ms. Duterte, who was impeached without a hearing, has emerged as a likely contender for the 2028 presidential elections.
Her impeachment is the culmination of a months-long feud with President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. after his House allies launched an inquiry into her use of confidential and intelligence funds.
She denies all the accusations in the impeachment complaint, from budget anomalies to amassing unusual wealth and threatening the lives of Mr. Marcos, his wife and the Speaker.
“The actions and rulings of Senate President [Francis G.] Escudero as the presiding officer of the impeachment court, such as the remand, are not provided for in the Constitution,” Mr. Bucoy said.
“The remand applies to ordinary cases in ordinary courts, but never in an impeachment court,” he added.
ONLY ‘NEGATIVE THINGS’Meanwhile, the presidential palace dismissed Ms. Duterte’s remarks that investor sentiment is already low with or without her impeachment.
“That is her belief, and if that’s the narrative she wants to push, there’s little we can do,” Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro told a news briefing in Filipino. “But we should base our understanding on documents and on the gains we are seeing. It seems the Vice-President only has negative things to say about this administration.”
Ms. Duterte on Monday pushed back against calls from several business groups that want the Senate to proceed with her trial, rejecting their argument that doing so would reassure investors about the country’s commitment to the rule of law.
The Makati Business Club, the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines and other private sector groups earlier warned that the Senate’s inaction on the impeachment process could erode investor confidence.
In separate statements, the groups said the refusal to hold a trial might hurt the country’s ability to attract long-term foreign and domestic capital, which is critical for job creation and economic growth.
“Even with or without the impeachment, investor confidence is already gone, so they shouldn’t make me the reason why the economy is doing poorly,” Ms. Duterte told reporters in Filipino on Monday. “If they truly want accountability, then they should file cases in court.”
Mr. Marcos earlier said he does not want to meddle in the impeachment trial.
Also on Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” L. Pimentel III said the House should comply with the impeachment court order to certify that they did not violate the Constitution.
“They should comply with the order of the Senate impeachment court,” he told a news briefing. “They are a party [to the case] because they filed the impeachment case.”
The impeachment complaint was filed and signed by more than 200 congressmen, more than the one-third vote required by law before it could be sent to the Senate.
Mr. Pimentel said remanding the case had caused “unnecessary delay.” “It introduced a detour that did not need to be done, and legal concepts that were not so clear in meaning,” he added.
He was among the five senators who voted against returning the impeachment complaint to the House. The others were Senators Ana Theresia Hontiveros-Baraquel, Nancy S. Binay, Sherwin T. Gatchalian and Mary Grace Poe-Llamanzares.
“This could have been achieved through an advisory to the House prosecutors,” he added.
Mr. Pimentel said there is no need for senator-judges to recuse themselves from the impeachment proceedings based on their political bias.
“Let those senator-judges take their decision to the end, and then the people will judge the decision of each senator,” he said. “When someone inhibits, they can get away without stating their verdict.”
Ms. Hontiveros urged the Vice-President to promptly reply to the summons issued by the impeachment court last week.
“We are all waiting for her response to this, and the next processes related to the impeachment trial,” she said in a separate statement.
The court ordered the Vice-President to respond to its summons within 15-days. House prosecutors were given five days to reply to her comment.
“When we were sworn in as senator-judges, it was our duty in the Senate to review and vote according to the weight of the evidence presented by both sides in the impeachment trial, whether allies or critics of the vice-president,” she said. “I follow that duty, and I expect the same from other senators.”
Her remarks came after Ms. Duterte singled her out for political bias. — with Chloe Mari A. Hufana and Adrian H. Halili