Senator-judge Pia Cayetano on Monday urged the Senate impeachment court to conduct Vice President Sara Duterte’s trial in a manner that would leave as little doubt as possible about the legality and constitutionality of the proceedings.
Cayetano said questions over whether the impeachment process was being properly conducted could affect public confidence in the trial.
“Nagkakaroon ng duda sa mind ng public kung tama ba ang proceedings natin, kung constitutional ba siya? Kung legal ba siya? ‘Yun lang naman ang gusto nating lahat, na legal ‘yung mga proceedings natin, walang mga shortcut,” she said during Day 33 of the trial.
She stressed that the impeachment court should strictly observe due process as it weighs the evidence and resolves procedural questions raised by the prosecution and defense.
“My desire [is] that we conduct our trial in a manner [that] would lead the least amount of doubt in the minds of anyone, that we are following due process,” Cayetano said.
The senator-judge added that she was placing her observations on record because of the significance of the court’s decisions.
“I just put on record lahat po ‘tong observation ko, Mr. President, because only history will judge the decisions that we make,” she said.
The Senate impeachment court continued hearing testimony and arguments Monday as proceedings against Duterte entered Day 33.
