Senate leader warns colleagues vs amending impeach rules

MANILA, Philippines – Senate  President  Juan  Ponce-Enrile  has  warned  his  colleagues  against amending  the rules of impeachment, saying  it will  just delay the proceedings against Ombudsman  Merceditas  Gutierrez.

“If we’re going to open on May 9 and the first matter we will discuss is to amend the rule that will entail a debate among members the Senate and it will take time,” Enrile told a weekly forum in the Senate on Thursday.

“And once we agree to amend the rules, we will have to republish [it again],” he said.

Enrile was reacting to Senator  Francis Pangilinan’s  proposal to amend the  rules to allow the  senators, who will act  as judges  in the impeachment trial of the  Ombudsman, to  vote every after hearing the arguments and evidence of  each  article of impeachment.

The rules provide that the Senate acting as an impeachment court can only vote after hearing all six articles of impeachment contained in the complaint against the Ombudsman. Only one guilty verdict by the court was enough to oust the Ombudsman.

But Enrile believes that Pangilinan’s proposal will not only delay the process, but will also expose the senators to pressure when the court adopted the proposed amendment  in the rules.

“You would know now the position of each senator with respect to the respondent. You would know who are voting against he or in favor her and there are many pressure groups watching….so I’d like to avoid that,” he further said.

Enrile acknowledged that the Senate might not be able to finish the trial when it goes on sine die adjournment on June 9.