VP: Lawmakers did not read impeach docs

MANILA, Philippines — Should you sign first without reading the document?

According to fresh allegations from Vice President Sara Duterte, several congressmen did this when they attached their names to the Articles of Impeachment against her.

“We all know that, first, they (congressmen) did not read the Articles of Impeachment. Second, many of them received a budget or money in exchange for their signature,” she said at a press conference yesterday in Davao City.

At least 215 congressmen signed the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte.

“In fact, many already admitted that they were promised something in exchange for their signature… so if we are to talk about accountability by business groups, they should also question how the Articles of Impeachment was passed,” she added.

Responding to the Makati Business Club’s call for the Senate to proceed with the impeachment trial against her, Duterte said the economy is already down and there is no investor confidence with or without the impeachment.

“They should not use me as a reason for the current state of the economy,” the Vice President said. 

Meanwhile, Duterte reiterated her earlier call for Sen. Risa Hontiveros to inhibit from the impeachment trial. 

“You cannot just demand for senator-judges to inhibit based on bias because the position of an individual is you are for or against Inday Sara,” Duterte said. 

Various groups have asked senators who pushed for the dismissal of the impeachment case against Duterte to inhibit themselves.

“If that is your basis for inhibition, the senators who are biased against Sara Duterte, like Sen. Risa Hontiveros who, in a public speech, said that the Duterte family should be erased, discredited and destroyed – if that is the case, many senators pro or against Sara Duterte should inhibit,” Duterte said.

Duterte said she is still not certain if she will appear before the impeachment trial after the Senate issued summons against her. 

Voluntary

Stressing that any move to inhibit senator-judges from participating in Duterte’s impeachment trial must be voluntary, Senate President Francis Escudero cited precedent from the impeachment trial of the late chief justice Renato Corona, where it was established that recusal or inhibition of senator-judges is “voluntary on the part of the impeachment court judge” and cannot be forced on them.

“If you can remember, the defense panel requested senator-judge (Franklin) Drilon to inhibit… the impeachment court decided that it cannot be put to a vote,” Escudero said yesterday.

Senators may only be excluded from the official vote for conviction or acquittal in an impeachment trial if they are removed from office through the Senate’s ethics and disciplinary procedures, the Senate President clarified.

Escudero’s statements came amid questions on whether mass inhibitions by senators would affect the total number of votes required to convict or to acquit.

In an impeachment trial, conviction requires a vote of two-thirds of all members of the Senate, or 16 out of 24.

Some commentators have argued that this threshold could be lowered if fewer senators participate due to inhibition, but Escudero maintained there is no legal basis for such a view.

Escudero also shot down proposals for President Marcos to mediate a private dialogue between the two chambers of Congress regarding the impeachment trial of Duterte, saying communication should be through court pleadings, not through backroom agreements.

He said the Senate, now sitting as an impeachment court, cannot enter “amicable” settlements with the House, which acts as prosecutors. – Janvic Mateo, Delon Porcalla