Tito: Chiz bushwhacked VP impeach complaint

The Senate leadership of Francis Escudero "bushwhacked" the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte on the very day it was transmitted to the Senate, according to senator-elect Tito Sotto.

- MARC JAYSON CAYABYAB

"The Articles of Impeachment were bushwhacked the day they arrived in the Senate on Feb. 5," Sotto told The STAR yesterday.

This is because the complaint was not forwarded to the Senate's rules committee when it was directly transmitted to the chamber on Feb. 5, the last session day before its four-month long break.

Having just resumed session on June 2, the impeachment complaint has yet to be read on the floor, after Escudero reset the House prosecution panel's reading of charges to June 11, two days before the sine die adjournment.

"The Senate President did not refer it right away to the rules committee, which should have been the proper action to take. In fact, he has not done so until today," Sotto added.

He said the Senate leadership has the option to use the remaining days of the 19th Congress to convene the impeachment court even after Congress has adjourned.

"The Senate may continue up to three days even if its counterpart has adjourned. That's in the Constitution," he said. "Then the Senate should have constituted itself as an impeachment court and decided what to do."

Sotto questioned Escudero's seeming unwillingness to try the impeachment case against Vice President Duterte on allegations that she misused millions of confidential funds and then threatened to kill President Marcos, First Lady Liza Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez.

"The Senate has not been known to cower in impeaching a president or a chief justice," he said.

Sotto is eyeing to reclaim the Senate presidency in the upcoming 20th Congress from Escudero.

For his part, senator-elect Panfilo Lacson said he agreed with the position of Senate minority leader Koko Pimentel that the Senate is a continuing body that allows impeachment trials to cross over to the next Congress.

"For me, the best way forward is to let the impeachment trial cross over to the 20th Congress because it can no longer be done in the 19th Congress.