VP impeach court convenes May 18

MANILA, Philippines, May 15 ------ The Senate impeachment court will convene next Monday to hear the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano announced.

In a press briefing, Cayetano vowed there would be no delays when the court convenes on May 18 at 3 p.m., “or at the possible soonest time, absent any question on the rules and procedure related to the transmitted articles.” Cayetano vowed that none of the 13 new majority senators would question the convening of the impeachment court.

He said the first day of the convening would be for the issuance of summons. He clarified that proceeding to trial “forthwith” as stated in the 1987 Constitution can only happen once the number of days for the issuances of summons and replies are complied with.

Cayetano said he is more concerned with balancing the impeachment proceedings with their regular legislative work of conducting committee hearings and passing bills. “The biggest issue for me is the balancing between (the impeachment trial and) the legislative work,” Cayetano said. “Once you convene and issue the summons, it proceeds.”

Vice President Duterte will let her 16-man legal team to do their job after the House of Representatives transmitted to the Senate the Articles of Impeachment against her. “We have a defense team, the impeachment defense team, who takes care of the issues and concerns regarding the impeachment. So, I leave it up to the lawyers to do their work,” Duterte said in an interview in The Hague, Netherlands.

House Secretary General Cheloy Garafil delivered the articles at about 7:20 p.m., and received by Senate Secretary Mark Mendoza. Multiple shots were fired by officers of the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms, accompanied by armed Philippine Marines. Minutes after the shooting, at about 8 p.m., OSAA members allowed House contingents to deliver the boxes containing the Articles of Impeachment.

Source: philstar.com