00:00All the best laid plans and hard-won efforts by the House Prosecution Panel in advancing the impeachment trial of the sitting Vice President
00:08can wind up for naught if the Senate plenary decides to dismiss the entire proceedings by a vote.
00:15Should it turn out that way, the Supreme Court will only be the refuge or remedy to turn things around, as our Mela Lesmoras reports.
00:23Some House leaders opposed the statement of Senate President Francis Escudero,
00:30saying the Senate Impeachment Court could decide by a simple majority of votes whether to dismiss the case against Vice President Sara Duterte or not.
00:38According to House Assistant Majority Leaders Erniex Dionisio and Zia Alonzo Adjong,
00:43the Constitution mandates the complaint must go through a proper trial.
00:47They also reiterated their call for the immediate commencement of the trial.
00:51Malaking tanong, bakit? Anong reason nyo para i-dismiss or i-junk?
00:56Are you more powerful than the Constitution?
00:59Or the bigger question is, ayaw nyo bang marinig yung gustong marinig ng taong bayan?
01:07Ayaw nyo bang makita o masilip man lang yung mga ebidensya na ipipresenta ng dalawang panig?
01:15Yun ang pinakapatas sa lahat eh. That's why, dapat impartial.
01:21The point is, allow the process according to the Constitution to proceed.
01:28Yung sinasabi pong junk, kasi parang sabi nila may possibility.
01:35Ang tanong ho talaga dyan is, dapat ba talaga i-junk?
01:38Because the verified impeachment complaints are not mere scrap of paper.
01:44These are serious allegations.
01:48Earlier, ML Partili's representative elec Laila de Lima also criticized the Senate President's statement,
01:54alleging a Chief Escudero version of the 1987 Constitution is in place that guides his decisions and presides over the entire matter.
02:01Kasi hindi na natin naiintindihan, ano, has been showing a kind of posturing, as if the 1987 Constitution is not there, as if the 1987 Constitution is not clear enough.
02:13Because for us, it's clear enough na once transmitted na yung articles of the impeachment to the Senate, ano na eh, yung start na ng proceedings.
02:23In an interview, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano had this to say on the issue.
02:28Ang sinasabi ni SP, can be dismissed. That's the reality eh, diba?
02:33That the Senate acts through its members and majority wins.
02:40Hindi naman pwedeng minority wins. Anong limitation doon?
02:44We cannot do anything unconstitutional, kasi pag yan ay may grave abuse of discretion,
02:50amounting to lack or nawalan ng jurisdiction, no?
02:53No, pwedeng kaming, ah, pwedeng balik sa rin yung desisyon namin ng Supreme Court.
02:59In addition, the senator emphasized the importance of resolving first the issue of jurisdiction over the impeachment case.
03:05He assured the public that in every step of the process, they will consider what is best for the country.
03:11Now, just because you can, it doesn't mean you should, diba?
03:16So we really have to take a deep breath and think what's best for the country.
03:22Melalas Moras from the National TV Network for a new and better Philippines.
