Cayetano: Detained Senators Should Attend Sara Duterte's Impeachment Trial

Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, in his 'Kontra-SONA' (Counter-State of the Nation Address), asserted that detained Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta should be allowed to attend the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. Cayetano referred to the two senators as 'political prisoners,' suggesting they would have been able to attend if they were out on bail. During his speech, delivered a day after President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr.'s penultimate SONA, Cayetano questioned the fairness of the justice system, asking, 'Are they getting the justice? Are we fair or do we have selective justice?' Estrada had previously filed a motion before the Sandiganbayan (anti-graft court) seeking permission to attend the impeachment trial, but it was denied. Marcoleta, meanwhile, wrote to the impeachment court urging them to find ways to allow him and Estrada to participate and for his vote to be considered. All three senators are members of the Senate minority bloc, which Cayetano leads. Estrada and Marcoleta are currently detained on separate plunder charges, while Senator Ronald 'Bato' dela Rosa has remained out of public view following the issuance of an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him over his alleged role in the Duterte administration's bloody drug war. Beyond the impeachment trial issue, Cayetano also highlighted pressing national concerns in his counter-SONA, including the rising national debt, low wages, and the lack of regulation in vapes. He also called for the scrapping of the K-12 program and for continued investigation into a massive food adulteration scandal. Cayetano concluded his address by urging the government to coordinate and work together in championing a common 'national vision,' and appealed for faith in God's plans for prosperity and hope, despite political divisiveness and disagreements.