Senate action on impeachment deprived Pinoys of due process—House leaders
At A Glance
- House leaders on Thursday, Aug. 7, said the Senate's move to archive the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte effectively denied Filipinos of due process by setting aside their clamor for accountability.
House leaders on Thursday, Aug. 7, said the Senate’s move to archive the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte effectively denied Filipinos of due process by setting aside their clamor for accountability.
“Ang na-deny po ng due process dito ay ang taumbayan (It's the people whose due process was denied),” Manila 3rd district Rep. Joel Chua, chairman of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, said during a press conference.
House Deputy Majority Leader and Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong shared the same sentiment. He said it was the clamor for accountability that fell by the wayside during Senate plenary session on Wednesday, Aug. 6.
But Chua says the fight is not yet over as he expressed hope that the Supreme Court (SC) will act on the motion for reconsideration (MR) filed by the House of Representatives and give the Filipino people the due process they deserve.
“Sa amin pong paniniwala, hindi pa po tapos ang laban. Tayo po ay patuloy pa ring umaasa na mabibigyan ng due process [ang taumbayan] (It is our belief that the fight is not yet over. We will continue to hope for due process for the people),” Chua said.
Adiong said he was not surprised by the outcome of the Senate’s voting due to existing "political alignments" there.
Just the same, he found the result both disappointing and revealing.
“But it was kind of—there was a revelation. To some degree, disappointing kung ako ang tatanungin mo (it's disappointing if you ask me),” he added.
Adiong noted that Senator Rodante Marcoleta's "motion to archive" was an amended version of his "motion to dismiss". He interpreted it as a clear intent to set aside the complaint regardless of the high court’s ongoing review.
“Remember, the motion to archive is actually the product of an amendment to the original motion which was to dismiss,” he pointed out.
“So if you look at the pattern, even previously when they already had the initial discussion about whether or not Senate would continue on with the impeachment proceedings, meron na pong intention really to dismiss the case,” he continued.
Adiong said the Senate’s swift action was telling, especially given the absence of any final judicial conclusion.