Senator-judges 'waste time' lecturing lawyers in impeachment trial, says Tulfo

MANILA, Philippines – Senator-judge Erwin Tulfo on Wednesday pressed that senator-judges “waste time” lecturing lawyers from the defense and prosecution during Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, stressing the need to expedite proceedings. Tulfo pointed this out after he was asked by the media what ways the Senate impeachment court could expedite the trial. “We have our colleagues in the senator-judges; it seems like we still need to lecture the lawyers, the prosecution. We waste time,” Tulfo stated. He continued: “Because if you lecture on Law 101, it seems like you’re getting away from it. You should only point out the evidence, the testimony, but if you go back to what you learned in law school, this is what you learned: ‘things you didn’t study’ – it’s not relevant to the issue.” Although prior to this, he explained that senator-judges “have to be careful” not to miss any evidence that need to be studied. “We want to hurry, right? But it’s just a matter of necessity that we also have to be careful. We might miss some pieces of evidence that are presented or not explained properly. We really need to study it carefully. It’s not just a matter of presenting evidence, that’s it,” he explained. Tulfo had previously expressed in the trial floor that the court must not entertain unrelated matters during the trial as it delays the proceedings. Instead, he put forward talking to the press or going on Facebook livestream to air other concerns. However, presiding officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero pointed out that, since the Senate, as a legislative body, is also awaiting the start of its second regular session, senator-judges had no other avenue to put on record their sentiments on matters outside the impeachment.