Stop the clock

COMMONSENSE

- MARICHU A. VILLANUEVA

By hook or by crook, the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte must get underway. Embattled Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero held his sway over attempts to ram through last Monday the impeachment trial two days ahead of schedule. Senate minority leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III and his deputy minority leader Risa Hontiveros tried but failed to railroad their colleagues into ganging up on the Senate chief.

Surrounded by pro-impeachment rallyists at the Senate building, Senators Pimentel and Hontiveros carried their sentiments right into the august halls of plenary in session. On the Senate floor, the two minority leaders echoed the grounds of pro-impeachment groups to stop the perceived dilly-dallying on the part of Escudero. There were suspicions and fears of seeming devious plots to derail, if not to prevent, the impeachment of VP Sara. Whether it is unfounded or not, Pimentel and Hontiveros and their like-minded pro-impeachment rally leaders could not wait another two days more for Escudero to convene the Senate as an impeachment body.

On the other hand, Senate majority leader Francis "Tol" Tolentino and fellow Senators Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, Robinhood Padilla and even presidential sister Sen. Imee Marcos, who toed the line of the Senate leadership, were being accused as pro-VP Sara. If that's the case, then how should we call Senators Pimentel, Hontiveros and others pushing the pro-impeachment moves?

Yet all of these senators kept mouthing as their excuse from commenting one way or the other on the impeachment on their roles as senator-judges. But the impeachment proceedings—while following the judicial process—is really nothing but a political act of each and every senator-judge, whatever his or her vote will be.