Start impeachment trial, Tolentino urged

(UPDATE) SENATE Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III urged Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino to act on the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.

The senator said his letter to Senate President Francis Escudero seeking preparation for the impeachment trial was referred to the Committee on Rules, which Tolentino leads.

Escudero maintained that no impeachment trial will be conducted while Congress is in recess. The Senate and the House of Representatives will resume session on June 2.

Escudero also belied the allegations made by lawyer Howard Calleja, a law professor at Ateneo and La Salle, and Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Jill Bungallon that China was the unintended beneficiary of the delay of the impeachment trial.

"Any delay in the impeachment protects VP Sara and weakens the administration's political position against the Dutertes. For as long as the Dutertes remain politically strong, China will have a foot in our political door," Calleja said.

The lawyer said Escudero must have his own reasons "for risking too much, including driving a wedge between himself and the Marcos administration which could cost him his post."

"It's evident that Atty. Howie, who supports the impeachment, is frustrated with VP Sara and wishes to see her removed from office. Similarly, it is clear that Jill Bungallon also wants her ousted despite her role as a prosecutor. Why should I listen to them when they are partisan? Shouldn't we strive for fairness? Therefore, I disregard their opinion," Escudero said during a press conference in Sorsogon on Tuesday.

Escudero added that he has no plans to run for a higher position in 2028.

Pimentel said on Tuesday that "the Senate Majority Leader should now set the stage for the impeachment in keeping with the mandate of the Constitution."

In a statement, he said, "Preparatory work for the impeachment can proceed immediately as these actions are separate and distinct from the legislative functions of Congress."

"We have a constitutional duty that must take precedence over our reelection bid," Pimentel said, referring to Tolentino who was seeking another six-year term.

Tolentino belongs to the administration senatorial slate Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas.

"While we may be busy with our campaigns, the best campaign is fulfilling our constitutional responsibilities," Pimentel said.

"I trust that the upcoming election will not interfere with our mandate," he added.

Pimentel earlier said the Senate must address the impeachment complaint against 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 said.

Pimentel said the Senate's Committee on Rules "must forthwith, immediately, right away, and without delay review the impeachment guidelines."

He 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 television interview on Monday, Pimentel said the legislative calendar is different from the court calendar.

"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," he said.

The court calendar is different from the legislative calendar, he said. "We can act earlier than June 2," Pimentel said.

"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 said.

Pimentel acknowledged that the Senate could begin the preliminary preparations in March and defer the presentation of witnesses until after the upcoming election.

However, he 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."

Pimentel also raised the need for an all-senators caucus. "We wanted to see what is now the level of interest among senators over this case."

"If the Senate president calls for an 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," he said.

At the Palace, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said it would be "awkward" for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to call for a special Senate session for Duterte's impeachment.

"So, it is better for the Senate to request the president, considering that even the president made this pronouncement that if the Senate will ask him to call for a special session, he will do so," Castro said at a Palace briefing.

"If you will look at the Constitution, the president may call a special session anytime," she added.

San Juan Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora said that there was no need for a special Senate session because the Senate is already the impeachment court even if it is on recess.

"As to that, we don't need a special session because the Constitution is clear that trial shall forthwith proceed. For us, the Senate is already the impeachment court even if it is on recess," Zamora said.

She added that Marcos was right in his decision to distance himself from the issue.

"The executive is a separate branch of government; thus it is right for the president not to call for a special session," Zamora said.

The House of Representatives earlier this month impeached Duterte, citing six major allegations, each linked to alleged violations of the 1987 Constitution, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and other laws.