House prosecutors push for fair impeachment trial for Sara Duterte

National

FAIRNESS, independence, and respect for due process are what House prosecutors are urging the Senate to uphold as it convenes as an impeachment court in the case involving Vice President Sara Duterte, with lawmakers calling for a hearing anchored on evidence and constitutional duty rather than political considerations.

“In my view, our senator-judges at the time of trial, they will look at it with open eyes, will look at the evidence both from the prosecution and the defense, and decide based on the evidence and based on their conscience,” panel spokesman and Bicol Saro party-list Rep. Terry Ridon said in a Philstar report.

The 11-member House prosecution panel, led by Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville Luistro, is scheduled to meet with Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano as both chambers coordinate arrangements for the impeachment court proceedings.

Ridon said the prosecutors are not treating the process as symbolic, but as a full trial requiring organized presentation of evidence. He added that the team will divide responsibilities according to the different grounds cited in the impeachment complaint, with each prosecutor assigned specific portions of the case.

He also said the House panel is preparing on the expectation that the Senate, acting as an impeachment court, will carry out its constitutional role with impartiality and proper observance of due process throughout the proceedings.

Meanwhile, reactions to recent developments in the Senate continue to circulate in public discourse.

Sociology professor Louie Montemar of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines said many Filipinos remain unconvinced that last week’s change in Senate leadership was unrelated to the impeachment proceedings.

“No matter what these politicians say, what is in the mind of the people, what happened in the Senate was precisely undertaken so as to delay… the impeachment proceedings,” Montemar said in the same article.

Montemar, who also represents a consumer advocacy network, said restoring public trust in the Senate would require decisive leadership action.

He suggested that Senate President Cayetano should step down, saying public confidence in the chamber’s leadership has already been undermined.(MyTVCebu)