HOUSE Committee on Justice Chair and lead prosecutor Gerville “Jinky Bitrics” Luistro of Batangas on Thursday opposed proposals allowing senator-judges to participate or vote remotely in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, saying the gravity of the proceedings requires their personal presence throughout the trial.
“My humble submission about this issue is dapat personal na nasasaksihan ng senator-judge ang trial at dapat personal din siyang boboto dahil napakahalaga ng prosesong ito,” Luistro, a lawyer, told Kongreso Ngayon @ Your Service hosted by Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante and veteran broadcaster Ed Sarto over dzME.
Luistro issued the statement after Sen. Rodante Marcoleta floated the possibility of allowing Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa to participate and vote through Zoom during the impeachment proceedings.
Dela Rosa, a known ally of the Vice President, briefly sought refuge in the Senate last week after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against him over the Duterte administration’s bloody anti-drug campaign, before later leaving the premises after taking part in the vote that triggered the Senate leadership change.
“With all due respect kay Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, we respect him and he is a former colleague in the House of Representatives. However, we need to consider the significance, the importance, the paramount of this impeachment process,” Luistro said.
The Batangas House leader stressed that senator-judges must personally observe witnesses, documents and video evidence presented before the impeachment court.
“Napakahalaga po na personal na nakikita ng senator-judge ang bawat testigo,” she said.
“Napakahalaga po na personal na nakikita ng bawat senator-judge ang bawat papel, video na inilalatag in support of the Articles of Impeachment.”
Luistro said personally observing a witness’ demeanor is critical in determining credibility and truthfulness during trial.
“The demeanor tells you whether the witness is telling the truth or not,” she said.
She also warned against allowing impeachment decisions to be made solely through remote participation.
“Mahirap itong ipaubaya na dedesisyunan based on online voting only or online participation in the session,” Luistro said.
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