Sotto to convene impeachment court ‘forthwith’ if VP Sara case reaches Senate — ANC

[0:00] Philippine Senate President Vicente Soto III assures the public the Senate will convene as an impeachment court forthwith [0:06] once they receive the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte. [0:11] Soto says for him, forthwith means the day after the upper chamber receives the articles of impeachment from the House of Representatives. [0:20] Soto also confirmed the potential impeachment trial against Vice President Duterte [0:24] was among those discussed in a closed-door meeting among Senators Thursday to discuss the Senate's agenda for May. [0:34] Tinag-usapan na namin yung mga possibilities. That's it. [0:40] If we ever do receive the articles of impeachment, then we discuss the preparations that we need to do. [0:50] So member naman ng minority present, so he is asked to relate to the other members of the minority [0:57] suggestions. But again, all these suggestions and preparations for possibilities of timing [1:04] is depending on whether the articles of impeachment reach the Senate. [1:10] Meanwhile, Soto and his deputy, Senator Panfilo Lacson, believed Duterte's impeachment trial [1:17] could continue even during the adjournment of the first regular session of the 20th Congress. [1:22] We can extend, depende sa Senate. Just to convene, we can extend. [1:29] The impeachment court can extend. Not the Senate. [1:34] Hintay muna natin yung articles of impeachment, if they pass it, and they will transmit. [1:39] Then we discuss everything else. [1:41] House lawmakers are confident there will be enough votes from the lower chamber [1:49] to transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate. [1:52] ML Party List Representative Laila Delima says Wednesday's unanimous vote proves the evidence [1:59] against Vice President Duterte is strong. [2:02] Meanwhile, Delima weighs in on the possibility she will be tapped as one of the prosecutors [2:07] in the impeachment trial. [2:09] I'm not of not volunteering. So I'll just wait na na lang po natin kasi mangyayari po yan [2:17] kapag talaga na-approve na yung articles of impeachment at matransmit na sa Senado, [2:23] yun po ang susunod na gawin ay yung mag-a-appoint ng panel of prosecutors. [2:29] So let's just, so wala pa po akong decision dyan. [2:33] I'll be considering it. Just like last time na in-offer po yan sa amin ni Representative Chelle Jok, no? [2:42] For Manila Representative Joel Chua, there are no weak grounds in impeachment complaints against Duterte. [2:52] In time, Congressman Joel Chua admits he was surprised by the Supreme Court's definition of the term forthwith. [2:58] Based on the court's interpretation, forthwith in impeachment proceedings means within a reasonable period of time. [3:06] Now this comes after a debate during the 19th Congress on whether the Senate should immediately act [3:11] on the impeachment complaint against Vice President Duterte. [3:14] I'm quite surprised considering that the Supreme Court has recently been giving different meaning [3:24] to the wordings of the House. [3:30] Of course, as the highest court of the land, we respect their decision, [3:38] although it does not mean that we believe in that pronouncement. [3:44] For attorney Tranquil Salvador III, who served as a defense lawyer in the impeachment of then-Chief Justice Renato Corona, [3:59] the Supreme Court's clarification is a form of respect for the Senate as a co-equal branch of government. [4:05] The case of Henerilio, you're referring to the case of Henerilio versus Senate. [4:13] It was an action for mandams. [4:16] They would want to compel the Senate to immediately convene and to conduct trial [4:22] because of the word forthwith as provided for in the Constitution. [4:27] You will note that the Supreme Court said that the Senate being a what? [4:31] A co-equal body. [4:33] Again, you hear that. [4:35] A co-equal body, they recognize that. [4:37] It doesn't mean that it will be three months, four months. [4:41] But again, it is a respect to the Senate on when they think it is a reasonable time. [4:47] Let's paint the scenario, as you mentioned. [4:48] Let's say they voted on the plenary, right? [4:52] Probably. [4:53] Let's just try to visualize it sometime around May. [4:57] Following the case of Henerilio, well, they will have to wait for the Senate. [5:00] The legal team of the vice president accuses the House Justice Committee of presenting curated evidence. [5:09] In a statement, Attorney Paul Lawrence Lim said, [5:13] evidence in the inciting to sedition and grave threats complaint was spliced, [5:18] while context was ignored and opinion was substituted for facts. [5:22] He says these cannot be the foundation for probable cause. [5:26] He went on to call the House impeachment proceedings a fishing expedition, [5:31] aimed at giving what he called the defective complaints a semblance of substance. [5:36] Another lawyer of the vice president, Attorney Michael Poa, [5:40] insisting the conduct of the proceedings is unconstitutional. [5:43] The court is suprema, sinasabi natin doon, unconstitutional yung ginagawang pagdinig, [5:53] dahil nga lumalampas na to sa tingin natin, sa klaw ng initiation, ng impeachment. [5:59] Ang tingin na kasi natin dito, nagiging yung mga bagay na napagawa na really dial na nangyayari, [6:06] kaya mukhang malabong siguro, malabong dente, dahil nga we have to be consistent. [6:15] Duterte's defense team, again asserting it is ready to defend the vice president [6:22] in case the complaints reach the Senate impeachment court. [6:29] Kaling maiyakya sa Senado for trial, dahil narinig naman natin yung mga pahayad, [6:35] ng mga langgalang na mababatas natin, sinasabi nila na talagang may numero. [6:43] Confident tayo na mabibigyan natin na magandang depensa ang ating vice-presidente [6:48] kung sakali man nga na pumunta tayo sa trial. [6:51] In saying that, syempre po, we've been preparing for this last year. [6:57] So, syempre, masusi pa rin yung pag-aaral natin at operations na ginagawa natin. [7:05] Davao City Congressman Paolo Duterte claims his fellow House lawmakers are being coerced [7:10] and threatened to support the impeachment complaint against his sister. [7:14] Duterte alleged the Marcos administration is using the national budget as a weapon to threaten congressmen. [7:21] He claimed congressman staff received a warning that if House members do not vote [7:25] in favor of the vice president's impeachment, their district's funds in the national budget will be cut. [7:31] House Justice Committee Chair Congresswoman Jerville Luis Troo slams the allegations made by Congressman Paolo Duterte. [7:37] Luis Troo says no such attempts to pressure lawmakers reached her office. [7:41] She also maintains the House panel's proceedings were conducted independently. [7:46] Manila Congressman Joel Chua also rejecting Duterte's claims. [7:49] Wala po akong knowledge about that. Wala akong personal knowledge. [7:55] I mean, so far as my chief of staff is concerned, hindi naman po natawag. [7:59] Alam po ninyo, that was the allegation since last Congress. [8:03] During the 19th Congress, kinag-issue sila ng kunyari, may mga mali-maleta, whatsoever. [8:08] Now we have a different speaker, e, ganun pa rin ang kanilang ini-issue. [8:14] Alam mo, ito talaga, what they're trying to do now is to attack the credibility of the members of the Justice Committee. [8:24] But simple lang naman ang tanong dito e. [8:27] Sagutin ninyo itong mga allegations sa inyo. [8:31] Dahil kung ito naman ay wala namang basis, kahit na anong tumbling ang gawin natin, [8:36] makikita naman po ito ng taong bayan.