Senator-judges' neutrality in Duterte impeachment trial questioned

Questions are being raised about the political neutrality of senator-judges in the impeachment trial of Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte. House prosecutor Joel Chua, however, remains hopeful that the senator-judges will stick to their oath on political neutrality. "Me, until now, I still believe that they are bound by their sworn duty to exercise political neutrality," Chua said at the Saturday News Forum. "So maybe later, we'll be surprised; even if their questions are like that, they may vote differently. Let us see, it may be premature to judge them. Let us give them the benefit of the doubt," Chua added. When asked whether the prosecution would ask these judges to inhibit, Chua said they would still have to see. Several of the Duterte-allied senators have been accused of failing to be impartial. One of the senators being criticized is Sen. Pia Cayetano, who faces an ethics case after sharing a spliced video of House prosecutor Chel Diokno. The case, filed by women’s group EveryWoman, will be taken up by the Senate Ethics Committee on August 6. "We believe the Senate Ethics Committee should probe Cayetano’s posting of the spliced video during an impeachment trial process. We believe it is not proper conduct, especially of a senator-judge serving in an ongoing impeachment trial," Juanna Caumeran of EveryWoman said. According to the complainants, Cayetano's actions violated the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA) and breached the constitutional oath of senator-judges to render "impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws of the Philippines."