Sen. Lapid welcomes proposal of Corona impeachment trial in Filipino

Senator Lito Lapid. PRIB Photo by JOSEPH VIDAL

MANILA, Philippines — A proposal to make the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona in Filipino received a thumbs up from no less than Senator Lito Lapid.

Lapid, a high school graduate, said that conducting the trial in Filipino would help people like him to understand the proceeding.

“Mas magiging interesado ang mga masa na makibahagi sa impeachment trial ni Chief Justice Corona kung ang balitaktakan sa Senado ay gagawin sa Filipino [The masses will be be more interested to participate in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Corona if the discussions in the Senate will be done in Filipino],” he said in a statement on Tuesday.

Conducting the trial in a language understandable to the masses, Lapid said, would develop their interest in the proceedings and outcome.

“Tingin ko naman ay hindi mahalaga na ipilit na isalin sa Tagalog lahat dahil alam naman natin na hindi lahat ng salita sa Ingles, lalo na yung mga tungkol sa batas ay mayroon sa Tagalog [I think we don’t need to translate everything in Filipino because we know that not everything can be translated in Filipino],” he said.

“Ang mahalaga ay kahit papaano ay makasali ang mga katulad nating salat sa Ingles na makita ang katotohanan sa paglilitis sa Chief Justice [What is important is that for people like me would be able to see somehow the truth in the impeachment trial of the Chief Justice],” the senator added.