Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel pressed Senate Majority Leader Francis “Tol” Tolentino to start the ball rolling on the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.
“The Senate Majority Leader should now set the stage for the impeachment in keeping with the mandate of the Constitution,” Pimentel said.
“Preparatory work for the impeachment can proceed immediately as these actions are separate and distinct from the legislative functions of Congress.”
“Preparatory work for the impeachment can proceed immediately as these actions are separate and distinct from the legislative functions of Congress,” the veteran legislator explained.
“We have a constitutional duty that must take precedence over our reelection bid. While we may be busy with our campaigns, the best campaign is fulfilling our constitutional responsibilities. I trust that the upcoming election will not interfere with our mandate,” the seasoned lawmaker stressed.
Pimentel said his letter to Senate President Chiz Escudero was referred to the Committee on Rules, which Tolentino chairs.
“The Senate’s Committee on Rules must forthwith, immediately, right away, and without delay review the impeachment guidelines,” he said.
The former Senate President said the committee can either reaffirm the existing rules in their entirety or to propose targeted amendments that better align with the constitutional intent.
In an interview with ANC recently, Pimentel said the legislative calendar is different from the court calendar.
“The court calendar is different from the legislative calendar. We can act earlier than June 2.”
“We should not be bound by the so-called Senate legislative calendar. It is because the Senate is still existing as a Senate, and we can declare that we are now convening as an impeachment court. The court calendar is different from the legislative calendar. We can act earlier than June 2,” he said.
Pimentel said that deferring the trial to June 2 would contravene the constitutional mandate that impeachment “trial by the Senate shall forthwith start”.
“The Senate can make a decision to convene as an impeachment court and come up with its own court calendar separate from its legislative calendar,” he stressed.
“Ang sabi sa constitution, ang sabi doon isunod agad ang paglilitis sa senado. Ano naman ang meaning ng agad? Eh ordinary meaning din yan mabilis, dagli-dagli, mayroon pa ngang malalim na tagalog karakaraka,” Pimentel added.
He acknowledged that the Senate could begin the preliminary preparations in March and defer the presentation of witnesses until after the upcoming election.
However, Pimentel argued that such a delay would still run counter to the framers’ original intent and the spirit of the Constitution that “trial by the Senate shall forthwith start”.
In the same interview, he emphasized the need for an all-senators caucus.
“Gusto naming makita o dapat naming makita what is now the level of interest among senators over this case. Kung nagpatawag ang Senate President ng all-senators caucus and yet there is no quorum even in that caucus, that is a reflection of, you know, more than one half do not have this in their radar, do not consider this completely their priority,” Pimentel said.
“The Senate must address the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte with the seriousness and speed it deserves. It is time for the leadership to take the lead in ensuring the Constitution is followed,” he concluded.
