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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Lacson: Not impeachment court spox' job to 'admonish' senator-judges

Lacson: Not impeachment court spox' job to 'admonish' senator-judges

Published Jul 11, 2026 04:21 pm

At A Glance

  • Sen. Panfilo Lacson said impeachment court spokesperson Reginald Tongol should not publicly caution or admonish senator-judges, arguing that his role is to speak on behalf of the court, not comment on the conduct of its members.
  • Lacson said any alleged indiscretions by senator-judges should be discussed internally during a caucus, rather than being addressed publicly or during the impeachment proceedings.
  • Despite his criticism of Tongol, Lacson reminded fellow senator-judges to exercise restraint in their public statements to avoid creating any perception of bias toward either the prosecution or the defense in Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial.
Senator-judge Panfilo Lacson on Saturday, June 11, said the spokesperson of the Senate impeachment court should refrain from publicly calling out members of the tribunal over alleged violations of the rules, and said such concerns were best addressed internally by the senator-judges themselves.
Senator-judge Panfilo Lacson (Senate PRIB photo)
Senator-judge Panfilo Lacson (Senate PRIB photo)
Lacson made the remark after impeachment court spokesperson lawyer Reginald Tongol commented on a Facebook post by Senator Robinhood Padilla, which raised questions about compliance with the Senate's sub judice rule.
"With due respect to Atty. Tongol, he is the spokesperson of the Impeachment Court and speaks on behalf of the senator-judges. He should not make it appear he is cautioning or admonishing us," Lacson said in an interview over DZMM radio.
"If there are indiscretions committed by a senator-judge, it is best to take it up in an all senator-judges caucus, instead of lecturing in public or during the trial."
Lacson says Tongol's role is to speak on behalf of the impeachment court, not to comment on or criticize the conduct of senator-judges.
"It is not in his space to call the attention of senator-judges to adhere to Rule 18 of the Rules of Procedure on Impeachment Trials, even sounding like he was admonishing Sen. Padilla for his FB comments," he said.
At the same time, Lacson stressed that senator-judges themselves must be mindful of their public statements to avoid giving the impression that they favor either the prosecution or the defense.
"As senator-judges, we should be responsible enough, and conscious of our statements because we are senator-judges. We cannot make statements in interviews or during the trial that may project leaning towards the prosecution or defense."
Lacson also disclosed that the senator-judges may hold another caucus next week to discuss pending motions, including Senator Alan Peter Cayetano's proposal to communicate with the Sandiganbayan to allow detained senators, among them Senator Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada, to attend the impeachment proceedings.
Tongol said in a recent press briefing that senator-judges are bound by the Senate impeachment court's sub judice rule and are expected to avoid public statements on the merits of the case to preserve the fairness and impartiality of the proceedings.
Yet, he stopped short of saying Padilla had violated the rule.

Related Tags

Ping Lacson impeachment court Robin Padilla regie tongol
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