Senators ready for VP Sara Duterte impeachment trial

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Erwin Tulfo on Sunday assured the public that the Senate minority bloc is ready for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte at 3 p.m. on Monday, but it remained uncertain whether the chamber can remove her and perpetually bar her from public office.

“Yes, as far as I know, all of us are ready. If there is anyone among us in the minority who is not, that would be embarrassing because the Filipino people are waiting for this,” he said in an interview with radio dzBB.

“There is no reason to delay … we have to convene as an impeachment court. We owe it to the public, and everybody is waiting,” Tulfo added.

READ: Cayetano makes it official: Senate convenes as impeach court May 18

“She will be given the chance to defend herself in the proper forum. This is the proper forum as a court,” said the senator, who will sit as one of the senator-judges in an impeachment trial for the first time.

“She can say, ‘This is made-up accusations by Congress, or by some quarters against me.’ She can explain herself. The entire country, whether it’s DDS or the opposition, they want to hear that,” he added.

READ: Duterte impeachment: Church leaders urge Senate not to delay proceedings

Tulfo said the minority senators would question any attempt to block the convening of the impeachment court, but it remained uncertain whether the opposition bloc could muster the needed votes.

The Senate is expected to convene the impeachment court only days after a reorganization in the chamber that resulted in the ouster of former Senate President Vicente Sotto III on May 11.

“If somebody tries to block it, we will question … It has to push through, even if it’s 10 p.m. or 12 midnight, we will all wait for it to start, so that the Senate can convene. I’m willing to do that,” he said.

But Tulfo, along with his brother, Sen. Raffy Tulfo, only has seven other votes in the Senate for a total of nine: Senators Sotto, Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, Sherwin Gatchalian, Risa Hontiveros, Panfilo Lacson, Manuel Lapid, and Francis Pangilinan.

Those who supported the removal of Sotto include Senators Alan Peter Cayetano, Ronald dela Rosa, Imee Marcos, Christopher Go, Robinhood Padilla, Rodante Marcoleta, Jinggoy Estrada, Joel Villanueva, Francis Escudero, Alan Peter Cayetano’s sister Pia Cayetano, Mark Villar, his sister Camille Villar, and Loren Legarda, whose plan for the Senate presidency was scotched by the election of Alan Peter Cayetano.

Two senators, Joseph Victor Ejercito and Juan Miguel Zubiri, abstained from the vote.

Dela Rosa again disappeared after Sotto’s ouster.

Estrada, Villanueva, and Escudero were the primary incumbent senators who were implicated in the flood control projects scandal uncovered by the blue ribbon committee under Lacson. Former Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr. is currently in jail for related malversation charges.

Lacson was removed as chair of the blue ribbon committee when Sotto was ousted as Senate president.

Meanwhile, Alan Peter Cayetano has formally informed members of the upper chamber that the Senate will convene as an impeachment court on Monday at 3 p.m.

“You are accordingly requested to be present at the Session Hall on the said date and time. In observance of the solemnity of the proceedings and pursuant to the Senate’s Rules of Procedure on Impeachment Trials, all senator-judges are enjoined to wear their robes upon the convening of the Impeachment Court,” Cayetano said in a letter he sent to the offices of the 23 senators.

“Your presence and cooperation are essential to the proper and orderly conduct of these proceedings,” he added.

Cayetano earlier assured the public that the Senate is ready to fulfill its constitutional duty and would not delay the impeachment trial of Duterte. /cb /atm