VP asks senator-judges to dismiss impeachment articles

VICE-PRESIDENT (VP) Sara Duterte-Carpio, through her legal counsel Michael T. Poa, on Monday asked the Senate, sitting as a court, to dismiss the impeachment articles against her, asserting allegations were “substantively deficient.”

In a media briefing, Mr. Poa told reporters that the 50-page reply of Ms. Duterte includes a plea for the dismissal of the impeachment articles.

“It’s basically the defenses of the Vice-President, and of course, the constitutional infirmities that we see and what we feel were substantively deficient allegations against our Vice-President,” he said.

Mr. Poa said they have objected to the alleged pieces of evidence against Ms. Duterte, noting that some of it was not attached to the original complaints and was only collected as the impeachment proceedings went on.

He added that Ms. Duterte is already facing the case by filing their reply, and she will appear at the impeachment trial if needed.

“We raise an opposition, and our objections are basically on the admissibility of pieces of evidence. But we’ll see. Of course, our ultimate prayer is really for dismissal,” he said, noting that the burden of evidence lies on the prosecution.

In an executive summary of the reply shared to reporters, he said the House Committee on Justice violated the Constitution because the chamber conducted a “mini-trial” during its initiation of the impeachment by issuing subpoenas, receiving evidence, examining witnesses, and undertaking credibility assessments.

Ms. Duterte’s camp also claimed that the committee predetermined her impeachment, calling the proceedings “tainted by pre-judgment,” citing public declaration of sufficient votes against the Vice-President.

Mr. Poa also raised that Ms. Duterte was not given the opportunity to confront the pieces of evidence against her from the lower chamber’s proceedings.

“This deprived her of a meaningful opportunity to address the allegations against her and constitutes a fundamental violation of due process,” Mr. Poa said, referring to the additional affidavits, testimonies, and records from the Anti-Money Laundering Council, Office of the Ombudsman, and Securities and Exchange Commission.

Asked about the Senate’s credibility as an impeachment court, Mr. Poa said: “We have to admit and we’re not naive to the fact that impeachment is both a political and a legal process. We believe in political neutrality of the senator-judges,” Mr. Poa said.

STRONG SUPPORT FOR VP IMPEACHMENT
Support for Ms. Duterte’s trial remained strong as 74% of Filipinos said they were in favor of the holding of trial, up from 69% in March, according to OCTA Research’ April survey.

The April 20-24 Tugon ng Masa survey, released on Monday, showed only 21% opposed to the trial, and 4% were undecided.

It also found that opposition remained concentrated in Mindanao, where 41% of respondents said they were against the proceedings.

Ms. Duterte faces allegations of misuse of public funds and threats against the President, First Lady Marie Louise Araneta-Marcos and former Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez. She has denied the charges.

“These findings reflect public support for allowing the constitutional impeachment process to proceed — and should not be read as a judgment on guilt, conviction, or removal from office,” OCTA said in a statement.

Support for the trial was dominant across most parts of the country, although Mindanao posted the highest level of resistance, reflecting her enduring political influence in her home region.

The highest support for the impeachment trial was recorded in Visayas at 82%, followed by the capital region with 81%, Balance Luzon with 77%, and Mindanao at 58%.

The non-commissioned survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews with 1,200 respondents aged 18 and above nationwide. The poll has a margin of error of ±3% at a 95% confidence level.

SENATE WATCH
Meanwhile, a citizen monitoring network Bantay Senado, which brings together academics, lawyers, and civil society, was launched on Monday in Manila to oversee the upcoming impeachment trial of Ms. Duterte.

“The voices of ordinary Filipinos are also important,” Bantay Senado convenor and spokesperson Cleve Kevin Robert V. Arguelles told a briefing in Filipino.

“That is the role of Bantay Senado: to ensure that ordinary citizens can take part in and engage with the impeachment trial,” he added.

The launch comes as the Senate prepares for Ms. Duterte’s impeachment trial, with proceedings expected to formally begin on July 6 following pre-trial activities and the exchange of pleadings between the prosecution and defense. Senators earlier said the chamber would dedicate June to pre-trial preparations, including the submission and marking of evidence, after convening as an impeachment court last month.

A conviction in the Senate impeachment court would bar her permanently from holding public office.

Mr. Arguelles asserted that as a “broad non-partisan network,” Bantay Senado won’t take a position on whether the Vice-President should be convicted or acquitted.

He said the group would focus on monitoring whether senator-judges remain impartial throughout the proceedings.

Mr. Arguelles also mentioned Bantay Senado plans to release public scorecards assessing the conduct of participants in the impeachment trial, including senators serving as judges.

“We expect our first scorecard to focus on whether there are senator-judges who may already be showing signs of bias or prejudging the case,” Mr. Arguelles said.

“We have documented public statements made by senator-judges and are assessing whether any of these indicate preconceived positions that could affect their impartiality,” he added, underscoring that senators should uphold fairness.

The network also plans to conduct town halls, public education campaigns, and volunteer training activities nationwide before and during the trial.

Bantay Senado currently has more than 350 registered volunteers nationwide. The initiative is organized by Team Pinas Foundation in partnership with De La Salle University. — Kaela Patricia B. Gabriel, Chloe Mari A. Hufana and Mark Joseph M. Sanchez