‘House followed impeach rules’

MANILA, Philippines — With the Supreme Court’s non-issuance of a temporary restraining order, Vice President Sara Duterte’s camp should accept that impeachment clarificatory hearings will proceed starting today, according to retired SC justice Adolf Azcuna.

“The message here is that the SC does not want at this stage to intervene in House proceedings at a committee level. It is saying that the House justice panel can proceed with its scheduled hearings,” Azcuna told ANC.

Azcuna said the House has acted within its constitutional duty to determine probable cause – the central objective of the hearings.

Defending congressmen accused of being “biased” by the Duterte camp, Azcuna pointed out: “You cannot say that they’re biased just because they are prosecution-oriented. That’s their role. An impeachment is not a judgment. It’s a charge. It’s a complaint against a person.”

House prosecutors should be careful not to encroach on the Senate’s role as trial court and stay focused on gathering evidence and establishing probable cause, not determining guilt, he cautioned.

The justice panel is required to conclude its hearings and submit a report to the plenary within 60 session days – a timeline Azcuna believes will be fully consumed given the breadth of the complaints.

‘They can’t restrain the truth’

Vice President Duterte and her husband Manases Carpio should stop seeking judicial intervention if only to stop impeachment hearings from proceeding, Rep. Terry Ridon said yesterday.

“They cannot restrain the truth relating to their personal and business incomes, as reflected in income tax returns and related tax records submitted to the Bureau of Internal Revenue,” Ridon said, following a petition filed before a Quezon City regional trial court.

“These tax records are relevant in determining whether the VP may have amassed unexplained wealth and whether such wealth was accurately reflected in her statements of assets, liabilities and net worth,” he said.

Tax documents of the Vice President and her husband will be presented at House impeachment hearings, either today or on April 22 and 29, Ridon said.

Meanwhile, members of pro-Duterte group Hakbang ng Maisug and other organizations yesterday marched to the SC, denouncing the impeachment proceedings and the detention of former president Rodrigo Duterte for crimes against humanity. — Ghio Ong