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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Neutral dapat': Garin says how senator-judges should conduct themselves

'Neutral dapat': Garin says how senator-judges should conduct themselves

Published Jul 23, 2026 11:28 am

At A Glance

  • House Deputy Speaker Janette Garin reminded the public that senator-judges must remain neutral and bias-free in Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial.
  • Senator-judge Robin Padilla urged prosecutors not to be one-sided, while some senators were observed defending the respondent during interjections.
  • Prosecutor Gerville Luistro expressed hope that political neutrality would prevail under Senate rules, as lawyer Lorna Kapunan emphasized that both Duterte and the senators are being judged by the public.
Deputy Speaker Iloilo 1st district Rep. Janette Garin (left), the senator-judges (Facebook)
Deputy Speaker Iloilo 1st district Rep. Janette Garin (left), the senator-judges (Facebook)


House Deputy Speaker Iloilo 1st district Rep. Janette Garin said that if anybody in the Senate impeachment court has to be bias-free or neutral, it's the senator-judges.
Garin gave this general reminder to the public following Vice President Sara Duterte's impeachment trial Wednesday, July 22, when a discussion on bias and one-sidedness took centerstage.
In a press conference with lead prosecutor Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville "Jinky Bitrics" Luistro and private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan, Garin highlighted the senators' task of determining the guilt or innocence of the impeached official, in this case Duterte.
"Ang neutral ay ang senator-judges kasi kailangan nilang pakinggan, i-analyze, pag-aralan, pag-debatihan and lahat ng related sa kaso para mag-desisyon," said the Iloilo lawmaker.
(The senator-judges are neutral because they need to listen, analyze, study, debate, and consider everything related to the case before making a decision.)
She said in plain language: "Hindi pwedeng maging bias ang senator-judges (The senator-judges cannot be biased)."
Garin's remarks were an offshoot of Senator-judge Robin Padilla's call on prosecutors in open court Wednesday to "not be one-sided".
Padilla, a perceived supporter of Duterte, said this knowing full well that there were prosecutors on one side of the session hall and defense lawyers on the other.
Senator-judges are allowed to make interjections in the form of questions and manifestations during the impeachment hearing.
There have been observations that some senators were seemingly defending the respondent through these intersections.
This notwithstanding, Luistro expressed hope that the senator-judges would still deliver a fair verdict.
“At the end of the day, I am hopeful na political neutrality ang mananaig. Sapagkat napakaliwanag 'yan sa Senate rules on Impeachment and they were the ones who drafted and approved the Senate rules,” she stressed.
(At the end of the day, I am hopeful that political neutrality will prevail. Because that is clearly stated in the Senate rules on Impeachment, and they were the ones who drafted and approved the Senate rules.)
Public to judge the senators
For her part, Kapunan noted that the trial places not only Duterte’s fitness for office but also the senators' conduct before the Filipino public.
“The one being judged here is not only the Vice President, the judges also are being judged by the public. Correct? So marami pong nanonood ng impeachment trial (A lot of people are watching the impeachment trial),” Kapunan said.
She urged Filipinos to evaluate the testimonial and documentary evidence together with the questions, answers and decisions made throughout the proceedings.
“It is your right to information and exercise your right of discernment from the evidence presented in the impeachment court from the questions and answers of the judges, of the witnesses and for what the documents speak and from that discern the truth,” the veteran litigator explained.

Related Tags

one-sided Janette Garin Impeachment Sara Duterte Robin Padilla senator-judges Lorna Kapunan Gerville \"Jinky Bitrics\" Luistro
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