SENATE President Win Gatchalian has the discretion to decide on a day-to-day basis whether the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte can proceed amid severe weather, but the proceedings should not lose momentum once conditions permit it.
Counsel for the House prosecution panel and spokesperson, Atty. Benjamin Tolosa, Jr. made the statement after the Senate canceled its Aug. 10 session and impeachment hearing and shifted to a work-from-home arrangement because of projected heavy rainfall.
“The decision, we’ll leave it to the discretion of the Senate president dahil siya ’yung gumawa ng determination kung dapat bang matuloy ’yung hearings natin, like the decision that he announced this morning,” Tolosa said during an online press conference.
He acknowledged that the government’s immediate priority must include the safety and needs of communities affected by the weather.
“Tingin namin, yes, kailangan talagang tugunan ’yung mga pangangailangan ng mga kababayan natin,” he said.
Tolosa stressed, however, that the impeachment trial also involves serious questions about the accountability of the country’s second-highest public official.
“Pero napakaimportante rin kasi nung pinag-uusapan natin dito sa impeachment proceedings na ito, dahil pinag-uusapan natin dito ’yung pananagutan ng pangalawang pinakamataas na public official ng ating gobyerno,” he said.
The Articles of Impeachment include allegations of misuse of P500 million in Office of the Vice President confidential funds, P112.5 million released through the Department of Education, and unexplained wealth.
“We should not lose focus on these impeachment proceedings dahil may bigat din ’yung implications sa case na ito,” Tolosa said.
He said the prosecution respects the Senate leadership’s assessment of weather conditions, government preparations and the safety of court personnel, lawyers and witnesses.
“Depending on the circumstances, I’m sure on a day-to-day basis tinitingnan ’yan kung dapat magtuloy ang hearing o, tulad ngayon, dapat ipagpaliban muna,” Tolosa said.
However, both Tolosa and Deputy Speaker Janette Garin of Iloilo’s first district believe the pursuit of accountability must continue when the weather conditions improve.
She noted that lawmakers can multitask, citing the decision of the House leadership to adopt work-from-home arrangements for employee safety while continuing to coordinate with government agencies involved in disaster response.
She said the coordination had begun before Monday and continued through the weekend.
“It has been starting last week, even Saturdays and Sundays na mino-monitor namin—walang tulugan dahil lahat kasi andoon sa response,” Garin said.
She noted that Congress and the Senate are not the agencies directly carrying out rescue, relief, and clearing operations on the ground. Garin said their role includes legislation, oversight, coordination and ensuring that agencies tasked for disaster response have the necessary resources.
Garin said legislative and accountability work could resume once the leadership determines that preparations are sufficient and government response mechanisms are functioning.
“Actual work and response has already commenced at may pagpapatuloy ’yan. Puwede namang pagsabayin,” she said.
The Deputy Speaker rejected the suggestion that government officials must choose between responding to a calamity and fulfilling their other constitutional responsibilities.
“Kung kaya, kakayanin ’yan. Kasi hindi tayo puwedeng pumili ng trabaho,” Garin said.
The postponed hearing was expected to resume with the testimony of Commission on Audit supervising auditor Xylene Mae Del Campo regarding the confidential fund submissions of the OVP and DepEd.
metrosundaily
