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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Senator-judges told: Even you are under trial

Senator-judges told: Even you are under trial

Published Jun 17, 2025 02:19 pm

At A Glance

  • Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong on Tuesday, June 17, has warned senators sitting as judges in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte that even they are under trial by the public.
​Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong on Tuesday, June 17, has warned senators sitting as judges in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte that even they are under trial by the public.
This came after he observed that some senators, who were supposed to be impartial as judges, showed biases in favor of the accused lady official.
Hindi lang ang under scrutiny or under trial ang ating Vice president (It's not only the Vice President who is under scrutiny or under trial), the Senate in itself is also under trial by the people, Adiong said in a press conference.
Adiong called on the senator-judges to be impartial and give the House prosecution panel the opportunity to present its evidence in a proper trial.
When the senator-judges convened the impeachment court last week, some of them showed a favorable stand toward the impeached Vice President and even called for an outright dismissal of her case.
Ang position namin the only way to move forward is to either acquit or convict, Adiong said.
Bigyan natin ng pagkakataon ang ebidensya na sumulong, at ma appreciate natin itong mga ebidensya bago tayo mag arrive sa judgment (Let's give a chance for the evidence to be rolled out and appreciated before we arrive on our judgment), he added.
'Good development' 
On the other hand, Adiong also welcomed the appointment of lawyer Antonio “Audie” Bucoy as the spokesman of the House prosecution panel in the upcoming impeachment trial of the Vice President.
He says having just one source of information is necessary because everyone is now invested in this trial.
​It's a step forward. It's a good development as far as impeachment is concerned, kasi para mas maganda, mas malinaw, mas effective ang communication line (so we can have a good, clear and effective communication line), Adiong said.
It is also an advantage that Bucoy is a lawyer because he can translate legal terminologies into layman's terms.
It's a positive development na [that] we have an official spokesperson to elucidate further what would be the discussions in the impeachment proceedings, he said.
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