One impeachment, three trials

The impeachment proceedings in the Senate consists of three trials that are all taking place simultaneously. First, there’s the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte before the Senate. Second, there’s the trial of VP Sara before the Filipino people. Third, there’s the trial of the senator-judges before the Filipino electorate.

The first trial is the only one taking place formally and visibly before the Senate, while both the second and third trials are happening informally and invisibly before the people of the Philippines. The first trial has for its purpose the resolution of the two issues of whether VP Sara should be removed as our country’s vice president and whether she should be permanently disqualified from public office.

The second trial serves as an informal appeal from, or review of, the Senate’s decision in the first trial, wherein the people will either approve or reject the Senate’s judgment. If the people are in approval of the Senate’s verdict, there will be an affirmation of acceptance, and no action will be taken by the people. If the people are in disapproval of the Senate’s decision, the people’s judgment will either be delivered swiftly through a revolution or will be dispensed patiently in the next election.

Article continues after this advertisement

Our country has seen an instance when the Filipino people rejected and reversed the Senate’s decision in the impeachment trial of then President Joseph Estrada, by successfully launching a People Power Revolution ousting Estrada from the presidency. The people launched the revolution after they saw that the Estrada-allied senators were shamelessly shielding Estrada from liability. It is also possible that, if the Senate decides not to remove VP Sara from office, the people may render their contrary verdict by rejecting her bid to be our country’s next leader in the 2028 presidential election.

The third trial involves the behavior, conduct, or performance of the senator-judges. If the people are repulsed by the unfairness of the senator-judges in rendering their verdict, the electorate may deliver their judgment by voting them out of office in the next elections.

This also happened in the aftermath of the Estrada impeachment where the electorate voted out the late Senators Miriam Defensor Santiago and Juan Ponce Enrile, after the two joined other senators who brazenly protected Estrada despite the damning evidence against him. On the other hand, the electorate delivered their verdict of approval in favor of some of the congresspersons for their key roles in the Estrada impeachment, such as Joker Arroyo and Manuel Villar, by elevating them to the Senate.

In the ongoing impeachment proceedings against VP Sara, there are mounting signs that an overwhelming number of people are losing interest, or have altogether lost interest, in watching the live and the full proceedings. The most common reason cited for this is because the hearings are utterly boring. People who had watched portions of the proceedings point to the fact that there are too many to-and-fro arguments on technicalities, drowning out the substantive aspects of the case and prolonging the proceedings on what ordinary people consider as “useless” waste of saliva and time.

Article continues after this advertisement

People complain on the failure of the impeachment presiding officer, Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, to rein in lawyers and senator-judges in their resort to too many technicalities and in obfuscating the core facts with irrelevant matters. People likewise complain that too many stumbling blocks are thrown to prevent key and crucial evidence from being presented to the judges and virtual jury members in the three trials.

Filipinos who are old enough cannot help but compare the current impeachment proceedings with the two previous impeachment proceedings against Estrada and the late Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona. In the two previous impeachments, people recall that the hearings were more riveting and interesting to watch because there were less wranglings on minor technical rules.

It’s very lamentable that the people are losing interest in the current impeachment of VP Sara, even when the amounts of money tainted with corruption are much bigger, and evidence of liability are more glaring and shocking compared to those involved in the two previous impeachments.

Article continues after this advertisement

With people tuning out of the live Senate proceedings, Filipinos are getting their dose of news about what’s happening in the impeachment hearings from fake, fabricated, and twisted versions of the trial being manufactured by biased influencers, paid trolls, and false news peddlers on social media.

There’s danger that the results of the three trials will be decided, not by the merit of the evidence being presented before the impeachment court, but by the contorted and screwed up versions of the trial that are being maliciously spread in the online world. There’s grave danger that the decisions that will be rendered in the three trials will be verdicts of abomination for our country.

—————–

Comments to fleamarketofideas@gmail.com