2 fellow senator-judges defend Drilon

MANILA, Philippines—Two senators came to the rescue of their colleague Franklin Drilon, whom defense lawyers of Chief Justice Renato Corona want to inhibit from the impeachment trial, as they accuse him of being biased for the prosecutors.

Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, who belongs to the ruling Liberal Party like Drilon, said Monday that only the public will judge Drilon whether he was biased in the impeachment trial. Last week Drilon, a lawyer, apparently did the job of the prosecutors from the House of Representatives and their private counsels in the direct examination of their witnesses.

“Ultimately, since the impeachment process is essentially a political process as envisioned by the framers of the Constitution, our performance will be judged by the electorate,” Pangilinan said in a text message.

“On the basis of the evidence presented and appreciated by the public, it will be them who will say whether a senator judge is biased or not,” he added.

“Our political future will be placed on the line if we fail to measure up to the expectations of the public for a fair and credible trial and we can very well be punished in the polls,” Pangilinan said.

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, also defending Drilon, said that as senator-judges, they should be biased for the truth and the best interests of the country without trampling on the rights of the Chief Justice.

“Technicalities will not be allowed to block the truth from coming out and this principle will be applied for both the defense and the prosecution,” Trillanes said, also in a text message.

“Save for a few commentaries, by and large, the public is satisfied with the demeanor of the impeachment court,” he further said.