Senators may request documents for impeach court

MANILA, Philippines—Senator-judges may request documents for the impeachment court as per ruling of their presiding officer, Senator-judge Franklin Drilon on Tuesday said, reacting to the defense spokespersons’ statement pointing out that some senator-judges were not only asking clarificatory questions.

“We are not governed strictly by the rules of court. We have our own rules,” he said.

Defense spokesperson Tranquil Salvador III told reporters that clarificatory questions, which senator-judges are given two minutes to ask, meant queries that seek to make clear certain points of the proceedings.

Defense counsel Rico Paolo Quicho added that while clarificatory questions from senator-judges were expected, it’s a different issue when they illicit documents which the prosecution failed to obtain during questioning.

Meanwhile, Drilon said that the impeachment court has not decided on the issue of striking off from its records parts of the proceedings on the subpoenaed bank documents, which are under question for the prosecution panel’s manner of acquisition of the documents.

But he said that “anything is possible.”