Hontiveros: Nothing hinders Senate from tackling impeachment case; backs call for a caucus

Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday, February 26 expressed support to calls for the Senate leadership to call for a caucus to tackle the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.

Hontiveros was echoing Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III’s call for Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero to call for an-all senators caucus as she also reiterated her belief that nothing is hindering the Senate from tackling the case.

“Sumasang-ayon ako, at sumasang-ayon hanggang ngayon sa pananaw nj Sen. Pimentel na malinaw ang utos ng Constitution na ‘forthwith.’ Kinikilala ko rin ang sinabi ni Senate President Chiz na hindi pwedeng mag-convene bilang impeachment court habang adjourned ang session, pero sumasangayon din ako na dapat magtatawag ng all-members caucus at sa caucus mapakinggan ang aming mga kasama ang mga argumento ni Sen. Koko kung bakit mag-convene kami as a court para i-tackle ang impeachment (I agree with Sen. Pimentel that the Constitution is clear on the ‘forthwith’ provision. I also acknowledge what Senate President Chiz’s statement that we can’t convene as an impeachment court while session is adjourned, but I also agree to the suggestion for an all-members caucus where we can all hear the arguments of Sen. Koko why we need to convene immediately to tackle the impeachment),” she stressed.

Hontiveros said she also subscribes to the idea that nothing hinders the Upper Chamber to immediately convene as an impeachment court.

“Walang pumipigil sa amin na i-tackle ang Articles of Impeachment, at mag-constitute as an impeachment court (Nothing is preventing us from tackling the Articles of Impeachment and for us to constitute as an impeachment court),” Hontiveros said during the Kapihan sa Senado forum.

“And muli, napapanahon na tuparin ang aming tungkulin sa ilalim ng Konstitusyon (And again, it’s high-time for is us to fulfill our mandate under the Constitution),” the senator added.

Hontiveros said she wouldn’t also be surprised if she learns that majority of their colleagues in the Senate would agree to the position of the Senate minority leader.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if majority na rin ang sumuporta dahil ilang beses na rin kaming nag all-senators caucus sa mga mahahahalagang isyu na di napagkakasunduan.  At this time, sa taong ito, ano pa ang pinakamimportante kundi itong tanong ng impeachment (I wouldn’t be surprised if majority of the senators supports the call since we’ve held an all-senators caucus on important issues that we can’t agree on. At this time, for this year, the most important issue right now is this impeachment),” the lawmaker noted.

Besides, she said the vice president has already sought the intervention of the Supreme Court on the impeachment complaint.

“So, in a way, the issues are joined…umaasa ako na matutuloy ang all-senators caucus para mapag-usapan, (I’m hopeful that the all-senators caucus would be held immediately so we can discuss the issue),” she pointed out, saying it would be “desirable” if this would be held much earlier than in June.

“We, as the Senate—like the House of Representatives—we owe our kababayans to fulfill our duties,” she stressed.

Hontiveros also said she believes the senators in the 19th Congress will have renege their responsibilities if they would just let the new set of senators in the 20th Congress take over in the impeachment trial.