Palace exec: 'Awkward' for Marcos to call for special session on Duterte impeachment

It will be an awkward position on the part of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. if he will call for a special session on the impeachment trial for Vice President Sara Duterte, a Palace official said Tuesday.

“It would be an awkward position on the part of the President to voluntarily call for [a] special session considering that there is this ongoing intrigue that the President is behind the impeachment proceedings,” Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said at a press briefing.

“So, it is better for the Senate to request the President considering that even the President made this pronouncement that if the Senate will ask him to call for a special session, he will do so,” she added.

Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero had said the Senate could not proceed with the impeachment trial of Duterte without the President calling a special session.

This came after Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III argued that the trial could proceed even during Congress' break.

Special session

At the House of Representatives, members of the prosecution panel expressed belief that calling for a special session for the Senate to convene as an impeachment court is not necessary.

“Ang sa akin pong humble opinion ay hindi na po kailangan ng special session na ipatawag ng Malacanang dahil ito naman pong impeachment hearing ay hindi naman po ito, wala po itong kinalaman sa legislative work ng Senado. Kaya sa akin pong paniniwala, hindi po ito dapat ituring na parte ng regular o special session. Ito ay sui generis. Ibig sabihin, namumukod tangi. Kaya po sa akin pong paniniwala, ang Senado ay pwede na magpatuloy para po ituloy ang impeachment hearing o proceedings,” Rep Joel Chua of the 3rd district of Manila told reporters in a phone interview.

[In my humble opinion, I think that a special session to be called by Malacañang is not needed since the impeachment hearings don't have anything to do with the legislative work of the Senate. I think it should not be treated as part of a regular or special session. It is sui generis, meaning unique. I believe the Senate can proceed with the impeachment hearing or proceedings.]

“Wala pong kinalaman dito ang Malacañang. Ang impeachment po ay trabaho po ng Senado at trabaho po ng Kongreso. So wala naman po sa batas natin na sinasabi na kailangan na ito ay itawag ng Malacañang ng special session. Kasi paano po kung ang isang sitwasyon ay ang Pangulo po ang subject ng impeachment proceeding? So malamang hindi po tatawag ang Pangulo ng special session,” Chua stressed.

[Malacañang has nothing to do with this. The impeachment [trial] is the work of the Senate and House. There is no law which states that Malacañang should call for a special session for this. What if a sitting president is the subject of impeachment proceedings? I don't think a president would call for a special session.]

Chua also said that various petitions filed with the Supreme Court against the impeachment proceedings only aim to divert attention away from the real issue.

“Ang sa akin lamang po, siguro huwag na natin munang ilihis sa kung ano-ano mang mga issue. Ang issue dito ay accountability. So ako po naniniwala wala na pong pinakamakahalaga po dito kung hindi dapat malaman po ng taumbayan kung saan po napunta ang pera. Kaya sa akin pong maniniwala dapat po ay mag-proceed na po sa impeachment hearing,” he added.

[We should not divert this [impeachment trial] to any other issues. The issue here is accountability. What is important is for the public to know where the funds went. That's why the impeachment hearing should proceed.]

Impeachment Prosecutor Rep Isabel Zamora of San Juan city agreed with Chua.

“We don’t need a special session because the Constitution is clear that trial shall forthwith proceed. For us, the Senate is already the impeachment court even if it is on recess. The executive is a separate branch of government thus it is right for the president not to call for a special session,” Zamora said.

Impeachment Prosecutor Rep Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez of 1-Rider Party-list said it is primarily the Senate that should act on the issue.

“This seems to be consistent with the Palace's first pronouncements on the possibility of calling for a special session. But in any case, if we look at the Constitution, this is a responsibility that primarily falls on the Senate. We respectfully and eagerly anticipate the Senate's action on this matter,” Gutierrez said.

The House of Representatives impeached Duterte on February 5, with over 200 lawmakers endorsing the complaint. The Articles of Impeachment were transmitted to the Senate the same day, but the upper chamber adjourned without addressing the case.

Meanwhile, Duterte has filed a Supreme Court petition challenging the validity of the impeachment complaint.

Meanwhile, lawyers from Mindanao and other groups have also asked the SC to direct the Senate to stop the conduct of the impeachment trial, claiming that it is based on a defective complaint.

Another petition before the high court seeks to compel the Senate to convene as an impeachment court immediately. — with Tina Panganiban-Perez/RSJ, GMA Integrated News