Senator-judges: Caucuses too boring for the public

Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Fear not the closed-door caucuses that senator-judges will conduct to resolve motions of both the prosecution and the defense in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

These meetings are meant to thresh out issues that may be too boring for the public to listen to, the senator-judges said. Caucuses are a normal part of the legislative process and are meant to be informal meetings where the parties concerned clarify technical details.

In fact, the senators agreed during the legislative session before the resumption of the impeachment trial Tuesday to hold regular Monday sessions where they would resolve motions filed by the contending panels.

In the case of Corona’s impeachment trial, there is no specific provision in the rules that prohibit or encourage caucuses as a means to settle issues.

To avoid extended debates

But senators insist the caucus is a necessity as it simplifies the discussion that will later take place in the open session.

“The informal caucus is meant to avoid the possibility of unnecessary delays in the proceedings that may be brought about by extended debates,” said Senator Francis Pangilinan, who suggested the regular Monday caucuses to resolve impeachment-related motions.

Senate President Pro Tempore Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada said the settlement of certain issues—motions, in the case of the impeachment trial—would spare observers from debates that may be too technical for them.

Senator Pia Cayetano agreed, noting that in some instances, senators discussing technical details would argue “over each period, comma or question mark” in the bills they were deliberating on.

“Hearings can get very tedious and boring, which could be agonizing to the general public. However, a lot of these things you cannot short-cut. So you settle them in caucus,” she said.

Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III admitted that certain legislators would go overboard in the debates whenever they saw TV cameras running.

He said a closed-door meeting would prevent this from happening.

Monday caucus

On Monday, the senator-judges held a caucus after the 9 a.m. legislative session to discuss the defense’s motion seeking a preliminary hearing on the verified impeachment complaint, and another to subpoena Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and other House leaders in connection with the quick processing of the complaint against Corona.

They also discussed a motion from the prosecution to summon Corona and members of his family in connection with their supposed ownership of high-end properties.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, as presiding officer, rejected the defense’s motion for a preliminary hearing.