Quezon City: As the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte advances to the Senate, one of the 11 legislators appointed as a prosecutor has indicated that the inhibition of ‘allied’ senators is under consideration.
According to Philippines News Agency, Manila 3rd District Representative Joel Chua shared during the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City that the matter will be deliberated once the panel is officially assembled. Chua addressed the notion that senators with affiliations to Duterte might need to recuse themselves from the impeachment trial, stating, “We’ll see if that’s possible. We will wait for our team to convene first and then, we will discuss all the options.”
Chua expressed that some senators might choose to voluntarily recuse themselves out of a sense of ‘delicadeza’ or propriety. He highlighted the significance of inhibitions, noting that the impeachment trial is fundamentally a numbers game, where the absence or presence of certain senators could be pivotal.
Duterte’s allies within the Senate include Senators Ronald Dela Rosa, Christopher Go, Robinhood Padilla, and presidential sister Imee Marcos. Chua emphasized that the panel would also need to consider the possibility of the Vice President’s resignation, although Duterte has previously rejected the idea of stepping down.
“At the end of the day, we must respect the process. I trust that our senators will uphold their duty to the Filipino people,” Chua affirmed. The House of Representatives transmitted the Articles of Impeachment, endorsed by 215 members, to the Senate on February 5. However, the Senate adjourned until June 2 without addressing the matter.
Vice President Duterte appeared before the media on Friday, maintaining a confident demeanor but refraining from extensive commentary on the impeachment, aside from noting that her legal team has been preparing for the proceedings for some time.
