SEN. Francis Tolentino said on Sunday the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte can be finished in 19 days.
Tolentino, the chairman of the Senate rules committee, said in a radio interview nothing will prevent the 19th Congress from adopting the rules of procedure for an “expedited impeachment trial.”
He proposed a schedule in which the trial would take only 19 days, starting from June 11 or the day the Senate convenes as an impeachment court.
He said Duterte will be asked to respond in 10 days to the complaint. Then, the prosecutors will reply on June 22. The submission of the trial brief will be on June 23, he said.
The opening statements of the two sides can be done in the afternoon of June 23. The prosecution can present its evidence on June 24 to 25. The defense will have its turn from June 25 to 26.
If necessary, a rebuttal can be scheduled on June 27. The prosecution will present its case in the morning, and the defense in the afternoon, Tolentino said.
“The oral arguments will be held on June 28. Then, on June 29, the senators will hold a closed-door meeting. [On] June 30, [we will] render a judgment,” he said.
Tolentino made the proposal as the debate heats up over whether the impeachment trial would seriously disrupt Congress’ legislative work.
The House of Representatives transmitted the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte on Feb. 5.
It was too late for the Senate to include it in the calendar of business on the same day. The Senate failed to tackle it before it took a three-month break for last month’s midterm elections.
A draft resolution being circulated by Sen. Bato Dela Rosa’s office — an ally of the Dutertes — seeks the dismissal of the case against Duterte. The resolution has yet to be filed and tackled in the plenary.
Tolentino said the case against Duterte is “functionally dismissed” since the 19th Congress has no more time to deliberate it. In addition, the trial could not cross over to the next 20th Congress.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III insisted that the constitutional mandate for the senators to act “forthwith” on any impeachment case is “supreme” over the plenary’s decision whether to proceed with a trial.
He made the point amid what he described as “disturbing” moves to dismiss the impeachment case against Vice President Duterte even before the Senate convenes as an impeachment court.
Duterte’s impeachment stemmed from her alleged misuse of confidential funds and threats to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
Senate President Francis Escudero moved the convening of the impeachment court from June 3 to June 11 to focus on the passage of pending bills as the 19th Congress adjourns sine die on June 13.
Pimentel expressed concern over Escudero’s recent statement that the plenary may still decide whether to go ahead with the trial.
“I’m worried because it appears that there is no commitment [from the Senate leadership] whether it will push through on Wednesday,” Pimentel said in a radio interview on Saturday.
“The Constitution states that trial by the Senate shall forthwith proceed. There should be no more alibi about the [Senate] plenary is supreme,” he said.
Pimentel said the whole process will take only about an hour. The reading of the Articles of Impeachment could last only 20 or 30 minutes.
“After we convene [as an impeachment court], we will take our oath [as senator-judges]. Let’s give it about 10 minutes. Then, allot another 10 minutes for acknowledging the case. It should be finished in one hour,” Pimentel said.
He said the Senate’s integrity will be at stake and the lawmakers who will stop Duterte’s trial will be judged by the public. They will have a “political price to pay,” Pimentel said.
“I was wondering whether there is a plan [to kill the impeachment trial] considering that no all-senators’ caucus has been called yet [to discuss the matter],” he said.
Former senator Franklin Drilon cautioned his former colleagues who want the trial aborted.
“The resolution is clearly unconstitutional. Do not play with fire. You might get burned,” Drilon said.
