Photo courtesy of Ping Lacson/Facebook.
Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said lengthy and unrelated manifestations were beginning to frustrate those following the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Lacson raised the concern after the sixth day of proceedings, when senators spent much of the session delivering statements instead of hearing witnesses.
He said a fellow senator-judge had jokingly suggested calling for a division of the chamber whenever discussions drifted away from the issues before the impeachment court.
Lacson replied that a motion to adjourn might draw even stronger approval from spectators who had also grown impatient with the delays.
No witnesses testified during Wednesday’s hearing, while several manifestations focused on matters including the timing of a National Bureau of Investigation inquiry mentioned by NBI Director Melvin Matibag concerning the sports complex built in Tarlac for the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
To recall, siblings Senators Alan Peter Cayetano and Pia Cayetano manifested their concerns over the matter, describing its timing as questionable, with Pia calling Matibag’s statement “contemptible.”
The senator earlier proposed steps to make the proceedings more efficient, including requiring scheduled witnesses to remain available within the Senate compound during hearing days.
He said efforts to shorten delays should not weaken the presentation of evidence, but should instead make better use of the limited time available to the impeachment court.
Lacson added that Duterte, like any respondent facing a court case, was entitled to proceedings that moved without unnecessary delay.
Wednesday’s trial ended early, with the senator-judges set to vote on July 20 on whether to approve the subpoena covering Duterte’s tax and bank records.
