Trial verdict on December 16? No timetable yet, senators say

MANILA, Philippines — Two senators yesterday denied impeachment court spokesman Reginald Tongol’s statement that they have set a Dec. 16 verdict date on Vice President Sara Duterte’s trial.

Sens. Francis Pangilinan and Panfilo Lacson disapproved of Tongol’s tendency to speak on their behalf without consulting them first.

“I have been asked by the media and the public about the schedule of the trial and the verdict date. The impeachment court has yet to formally or informally discuss this and has yet to decide on the timetable/timeline of the trial, more so a verdict date of Dec. 16,” Pangilinan said on Facebook.

The senator said the alleged “verdict date is merely the opinion of the spokesperson.”

“He has no authority to issue his personal opinions on the Court’s behalf,” Pangilinan said.

Speaking to dwIZ yesterday, Lacson said this was not the first time Tongol made a remark that was unauthorized by the senator-judges.

He recalled the time Tongol seemingly admonished senator-judges and reminded them of the sub judice rule when the trial started in July.

Tongol made the remarks in response to Sen. Robin Padilla’s Facebook post discussing the merits of the Article of Impeachment on grave threats, in relation to the Vice President’s livestreamed statement about allegedly contracting an assassin against President Marcos, First Lady Liza Marcos and former speaker Martin Romualdez.

Lacson said Tongol should have better communicated with the other senators.

“I don’t know where he got the date. Even we don’t know the date,” he said.

“That’s definitely not the statement of the impeachment court,” Lacson added.

He said Tongol, as spokesman, should not preempt the senator-judges’ decision on the matter.

Reporters sought Tongol’s reaction on their Viber group with the lawyer, but he has yet to respond as of publication.

Meanwhile, Lacson defended impeachment court presiding officer Francis Escudero from former senator Antonio Trillanes IV’s allegation that Escudero was blocking Trillanes’ testimony.

He said Escudero’s ruling did not prevent Trillanes from testifying, and that Trillanes is welcome to appear before the court even without a subpoena.

“The presiding officer has been very liberal from the very start. He knows we are keeping a close watch and that we can overrule him. It is not a dictatorial setup where the senator judges are bound by whatever the presiding officer says,” Lacson said.

He said the postponements on Wednesday and Friday were done not to prevent Trillanes from testifying, but to grant the Vice President’s camp’s request for more time to study the voluminous bank transaction reports of the Anti-Money Laundering Council, the next witness on Monday.