Lacson Criticizes 'Bopol' Senator-Judge in VP Duterte Impeachment Trial

Senator-judge Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Tuesday took a dig at a “bopol” (colloquial term for “dim-witted”) senator-judge, saying the person ruined the experience of listening to good lawyers during the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. Lacson posted the remark on social media without explicitly identifying whom he was referring to. “When the prosecution and defense lawyers are good, it’s nice to listen; we learn a lot. The problem is, when a ‘stupid’ senator-judge comes in, it’s just plain stupid. Win some, lose some,” he wrote in Filipino. READ: Lacson after Marcoleta’s PGH exam: ‘It’s a miracle!’ An hour earlier, Lacson expressed shock over what he described as an “awkward and shameful” situation in which a judge was “lectured” by counsel during a court trial. “I had attended many court trials, especially during my law enforcement days. I never witnessed a counsel, either for the prosecution or defense, lecture a judge on the Constitution, Rules of Court and leading jurisprudence. Awkward and shameful,” Lacson said in a separate social media post. It must be noted that, apart from Presiding Officer Francis “Chiz” Escudero, only Senate President Win Gatchalian and senator-judges Robin Padilla, Erwin Tulfo, Alan Peter Cayetano, Vicente Sotto III, Kiko Pangilinan, Joel Villanueva, and Pia Cayetano took the podium the day before. /mcm