Gatchalian Defends Hontiveros' Impeachment Trial Questions Amidst Preemption Claims

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian defended Senator Risa Hontiveros' line of questioning in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, stating that her queries targeted the 'core' of the case and were logical, despite being criticized for being preemptive. Gatchalian explained that Hontiveros' questions made sense as senator-judges must eventually weigh whether the evidence and testimony against Duterte qualify as an impeachable offense. He acknowledged that while her questions were advanced, they were crucial in surfacing evidence tied to the impeachable offense. However, he also noted that impeachment proceedings follow a strict sequence, where evidence and testimony must first be formally presented by the prosecution and defense. "Her question made sense, and in fact that is the very point we want to establish, right?" Gatchalian said in an interview, adding that "At the end of the day, these questions will surface evidence that is tied to the impeachable offense. So she immediately asked that. And of course, it was a bit preemptive because there is a process for these kinds of impeachment proceedings." Senator-judges, including Alan and Pia Cayetano, had criticized Hontiveros for supposedly jumping the gun. She had drawn attention twice, first by questioning why Duterte's assassination remarks were impeachable when no evidence showed she hired a hitman, and second by asking if Duterte's threats would have been justified by the detention of her chief of staff. While validating Hontiveros' intent, Gatchalian stressed that the main issue was timing. He stated that impeachment trials follow a strict sequence, where evidence and testimony must first be formally presented by the defense and prosecution before the chamber can rule on them. "It was advanced, but her question was very important," he said, noting that the presiding officer had addressed the matter and the first week was an "adjustment period" for all involved. Gatchalian asserted that senators have historically been given broad leeway in asking questions, citing the trials of former President Joseph Estrada and former Chief Justice Renato Corona. Hontiveros also stated in her manifestation that past impeachment trials had given senators wide latitude to ask questions. Gatchalian added that anything on a senator-judge's mind can be asked, and the presiding officer cannot block queries, only remind senators which questions should wait until the evidentiary basis has been laid. He also commented on the flurry of objections that have slowed the trial, characterizing them as expected strategies from either side. In the Corona trial, objections piled up in the first two to three weeks then tapered off. "I think the proceedings will move faster," Gatchalian predicted. After three trial days, the impeachment court has finished the presentation of only one witness, out of an estimated 90 trial days spread over roughly eight months. Gatchalian admitted the chamber had hoped to be done with the second witness by then, but lengthy debates and questioning got in the way. "We are not yet at 10% of the proceedings," he said, adding that the Senate is consulting both the defense and prosecution on how to pick up the pace. Next week, the prosecution is expected to present Duterte's chief of staff Zuleika Lopez, whom Gatchalian described as a possible hostile witness for the prosecution, along with other witnesses. Gatchalian shrugged off questions about Duterte's appearance at the Senate despite skipping the hearing, saying no subpoena had been issued and neither panel had asked to put her on the stand. On the prosecution's declared intent to eventually call Duterte to testify, he pointed to the right against self-incrimination and said it was too early to discuss and that senator-judges would do so at the appropriate time. He also brushed aside a petition filed by a group of lawyers asking the Supreme Court to halt the trial over the election of Escudero as presiding officer, noting that the high court had issued neither a status quo ante order nor a temporary restraining order. The Duterte trial is only the third impeachment case to reach a full-blown Senate trial, after Estrada's in 2000 and Corona's in 2012—both of which ran for months. Source: Philstar Nation