Category: impeachment

Senate president wanna-be

May 14, just two days after elections, Senator-elect Tito Sotto was quick to say YES, he would accept the Senate presidency in the 20th congress if enough of his colleagues support him.  https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/

May 15, Senate Prez Chiz Escudero had this to say to a titillated and makulit media.

“Katatapos lang ng eleksyon at bangayan at ingay, sisimulan nyo na naman agad. Palipasin nyo naman. Tapusin muna natin itong kongresong to. May dalawa pa kaming linggo na marami pa kaming inaasahang mapapasa at maihahabol na mga panukalang batas,” Escudero said. “Doon muna kami nakatutok at hindi yung parating na kongreso,” he added. https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/

Oo nga naman. Medyo nagulat din ako kay senator-elect Sotto, na hindi nagpatumpik-tumpik, oo agad. Puwede namang sabihing, too soon, guys, too soon to talk about that, let the 19th Congress wind up first. Like, you know, a show of delikadeza naman, in deference to SP Chiz who has a tricky 12 days to navigate, especially the impeachment part.

Unless yung impeachment mismo  ang top-of-mind ng senator-elect, na para bagang nagpaparamdam na he would handle it differently, otherwise why would he be so eager to replace Chiz? I couldn’t help wondering what game he’s playing.

Finally, some 10 days later, around May 23, my YouTube algo came up with an Iglesia (ni Cristo) Net25 vlog where Tito explains to Ali Sotto and Pat-P Daza exactly where he’s coming from on the impeachment matter. https://www.youtube.com/

SOTTO: Ako, ibang klaseng problema ang nakikita ko  na hindi nasisilip ng iba. Meron dalawang comflicting rules e. … Ang impeachment rules kasi, sinasabi that once the impeachment is taken up or the impeachment court is constituted as one, then kailangan tapusin … the impeachment trial must [go on] to the end.  Ito namang senate rules … ang sinasabi ng constitution … oras na mag-adjourn sine die ang senado, lahat ng business noon, patay, kaya nga…sine die, Latin for “without day”. Wala na.

So ano ang dapat sundin? Impeachment rules ba?  Ang problema, impeachment rules emanate from the senate rules, and the senate rules emanate from the constitution.  Bakit ko nasasabi yon? E ako ang co-author ng impeachment rules e. Nung kay Justice Corona, ako ang chairman ng committee of rules eh, yun yung sinulat ko na ginagamit namin as impeachment rules. So ngayon … alin ang susundin?

ALI: The question being, kung maitatawid itong impeachment complaint initiated during the 19th congress … into the 20th congress, is that the issue here?

SOTTO:  Kung sasabihin ng senado…ng 19 th congress … pagdating ng June 13, pag-adjourn sine die ng senado, sasabihin nila na yung impeachment court ay iba, it’s not a legislative body …   anong mangyayari?  Ike-carry over sa 20th congress? So the 20th congress can decide … sapagkat doon may bagong labingdalawa .. Although … may dalawa o tatlo na galing sa 19th congress na reelectionist … Pero the thing is their term ends June 30 ng tanghali. So panibagong term itong papasukan nila , so they’re part of the new 12 of the 20th congress.

PAT-P: So Sino po ang magdedecide … Supreme Court?

SOTTO: Puwede rin. Pero ako ang tingin ko yung 20th congress ang maganda mag-decide.

So. Clearly, whether or not he is elected senate prez by a majority (13) of his peers in the 20th, Sotto, once the Senate convenes on July 30, will contest the continuity of the impeachment court on grounds that the 20th Senate is a new Senate, 9 of the senators being new members, or something like that. Which means more delays, if not a complete stop to the trial, as in, better luck next time, next year.

But that would smack too much of trapo politics. Absent ba si Sotto when the Senate as continuous body was being explained extensively by legal luminaries in all media?

Atty. Rene Bueno:  Kapag impeachment court na ang Senado, puwede magpatuloy na litisin ang complaint … puwede ring i-set aside until after elections. … Marami nang jurisprudence re the Senate as a continuous body, no one can interrupt this function, and the main purpose is to maintain the stability of the government.  https://www.youtube.com/

Prof. Antonio Contreras: The concept of the Philippine Senate as a continuing body refers to its structure, composition and functioning, which ensures that its operations continue seamlessly despite periodic changes in its membership. This principle has legal and practical implications, making the Senate distinct from the House of Representatives. https://web.archive.org/

Fr. Ranhilio Aquino:  It is instructive that the 1987 Constitution and the 1935 Constitutions of the Philippines have staggered senators’ terms—thus assuring the continuity of the chamber…. https://manilastandard.net/

The trial can continue, pick up where the Senate court leaves off, once the new members have been sworn in. Naturally the newbies are expected to be capable of catching up, or they have no place in those august halls.

Besides, it’s not as if they weren’t keeping tabs on the Senate and QuadComm hearings last year like we all were, and we want to hear it all, prosecution AND defense. Technicalities be damned.

Senate watch, impeachment wait

The Duterte camp cannot claim victory. Losing seven Senate seats is seen by many observers as no small matter, and signals the so-called “Solid Duterte” vote may no longer hold the heretofore national influence it had despite the rankings of Senators Bong Go and Bato dela Rosa. https://manilastandard.net/

That’s from “Deconstructing the 2025 Senate poll results” by Manila Standard‘s opinion editor Honor Blanco Cabie.

Of course the DDS are saying otherwise, given the unexpected win of Marcoleta, thanks to INC, and the claimed wins of Imee, thanks to both Marcos loyalists and DDS, and Camille, thanks to the rich influence of rich MannyV on both sides of the divide, but which Tito Sotto insists is an Alyansa win.
https://www.youtube

Whatever, the next battleground is the impeachment trial, and the DDS are quite optimistic that VP Sara has more than the 9 Senators she needs for acquittal. Pero siyempre mas ipinagdadasal nila na hindi matuloy ang trial due to procedural issues na maaaring iakyat sa Supreme Court. But from where we the people seat and watch, these are mere technicalities. Besides, “… whether or not Senate Impeachment Rules were followed is a political question belonging to the Senate” and not to the Supreme Court. https://law.upd.edu.ph/

Of course the DDS would prefer that the Senate drop the impeachment case altogether — the VP has the numbers to get acquitted in the end anyway daw —  because they want to spare Sara the public scrutiny, and the retelling and confirming of House findings and conclusions re her betrayal of public trust atbp. And one way or another, baka maungkat din, at baka sumabit pa more, ang kanyang ama.

So the Senate bears watching. Magpapadala ba sila sa takot kina Duterte (baka makabalik a la Trump?) o sa conventional wisdom kuno that the impeachment is divisive and therefore should be dropped?

Prof. Arjan Aguirre of Ateneo’s PoliSci Department is already seeing 3 blocs of 7 each plus a tiny opposition. https://www.youtube.com

The Duterte bloc: Bong Go, Bato, Robin, Marcoleta, Imee, and the 2 Villars.
The Chiz bloc with Jinggoy, Lapid, the Cayetano sibs, and the Tulfo sibs.
The Zubiri bloc with Loren, JV, Gatchalian, and Villanueva, plus returnees Sotto and Lacson.
The Risa, Bam, Kiko bloc.

For sure there will be realignments. Already there is talk that Sotto is being eyed to replace Chiz as senate prez. But why Sotto? Is he expected to be nicer to Sara? Is Sotto a swing vote pala? And what about Bam? Does the INC endorsement mean he will acquit, come what may? Heaven forbid.

Leni or not #Halalan 2025

In the wake of Leni Robredo‘s perceived “endorsements” of two BBM Alyansa candidates and one DDS PDP-Laban, tila nagkawatak-watak ang Kakampinks. Maraming ayaw kina Pacquiao at Abalos, mga dating DDS daw na ngayon ay BBM, mga balimbing! Mas maraming ayaw kay Marcoleta especially dahil sa closure ng ABS-CBN in the dark days of Digong, and also because he would surely vote to acquit VP Sara in the impeachment trial.

Kakampinks were happy enough when Leni formally endorsed Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan back in Feb 11 at the duo’s kick-off rally in Cavite.  And when word got around, via a comment thread on Twitter|X, that she had also promised to vote for Heidi Mendoza, everyone approved, even if wala namang formal endorsement. Marami nga na tatlo o apat lang daw ang iboboto, at alam na natin kung sino-sino iyon.

But many more Kakampinks on my Facebook feed who have Bam Kiko and Heidi topping their lists (that have absolutely no room for BBM-Alyansas or Digong-PDPs) are going for progressives, even if their chances of winning are slim. And these Kakampinks are okay with that, in the hope that the surveys are wrong or that the electorate will swing left in the last two minutes. Very fairytale-ish, but it is what it is.

Sa reddit.com ako nakatagpo ng mga Kakampink na iboboto sina Bam at Kiko, and maybe Heidi, Luke, and Leody, AND certainly some of the BBM slate (basta hindi pro-China) just because they want the VP impeached to prevent a Duterte comeback forever.

MEANWHILE, punditz are saying na dapat ay may quid pro quo, kapalit kumbaga, ang suporta ni Leni kina Pacquiao at Abalos — BBM’s Alyansa should also push daw for Bam and Kiko. Oo nga naman. But Leni shouldn’t have to ask for it pa, di ba. At kung di káya to go public, maaaring daanin sa bulungan, o puwede idagdag sa sample ballots, at the LGU level as the BBM admin’s machinery revs up for the homestretch.

MEANWHILE, in the DDS camp, strategist Lito Banayo, who claims credit for convincing Digong to run in 2016, is expecting 4 or 5 PDP bets to make it to the Magic 12: Bong Go, Bato, Imee, Camille, and even Marcoleta (with INC’s help daw). Fair warning that VP Sara would need just 4 or 5 more votes from incumbent senators.

… Banayo mentioned Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Joel Villanueva, Robin Padilla, and Juan Miguel Zubiri, who might vote in favor of the Vice President.

“And then, how would Alan Cayetano vote? How would Mark Villar vote if Camille Villar owes a lot of utang na loob kay Sara,” Banayo added. https://politiko.com.ph/2025/04/23/

The very same question asked of Kakampinks voting for BBM’s sure winners in aid of the VP”s impeachment: how do we know that these BBM winners will not make balimbing to Sara’s side once they’ve made it to the trial as Senator Judges?

I’m remembering the midterm elections of May 2001, post-Erap impeachment trial, post-Edsa Dos and Tres, when only three (3) of Erap’s Puwersa ng Masa slate made it to the Magic 12, and barely.

Then, as now, the nation will be watching and listening closely as the trial unfolds, being reminded of what the Senate and QuadComm hearings surfaced in late 2024, and the Senator Judges will be under intense pressure to conduct themselves with wisdom and integrity, or else.

Read Manila Standard political scientist Ernesto M. Hilario‘s Will the next Senate remove Sara as VP?

The possibility of a second Duterte administration is likely to send chills of apprehension down the spines of those who want a regime that stands firmly on the side of democracy and human rights in the country, and [who] resolutely oppose any vestige of Dutertismo that’s seen to resurface should Sara take the reins of the presidency in 2028.

… A Senate that will vote for keeping Sara Duterte in her current position as Vice President will mean an uncertain future for Philippine democracy.

It is therefore imperative for the electorate to vote only for those senatorial bets who will exercise prudent judgment and decide on her case based on a careful weighing of the available evidence unearthed by the House quadcomm instead of voting along political or partisan considerations.

Vote wisely, Kakampinks, Leni or not.

Bumoto para ma-impeach nang tuluyan

[Dahil maraming humihingi ng Tagalog version}

Sa mga botante na nagtatanong, nag-iisip, kung sino-sino ba ang dapat ibotong Senador sa May 12, ang pinaka-kritikal na laban ay ang Impeachment ng VP.

Oo, maraming pang ibang isyu na importante rin, pero sa ngayon, wala nang hihigit pa sa Impeachment sapagkat ayaw nating makabalik ang dinastiyang Duterte — sa loob ng anim ng taon ni FPRRDay lalong nalugmok ang ating Inang Bayan sa hirap, takot, patayan, at utang. Ayaw nating makabalik sila para muling maghasík ng lagim.

MALINAW NA gagawin ni VP Sara ang lahat para di ma-impeach sa Senado.

Kapag nahatulan siya na nagkasala ng at least labing-anim (16) na senador (2/3 of 24) sa Impeachment Trial, bawal na siyang tumakbo for ANY public office. Mabibigo ang balak niyang tumakbong pangulo sa 2028. Kaya naman todo ang kampanya niya para sa mga kandidatong tiyak na ipapa-walang-sala siya sa Impeachment Trial.

KAILANGAN ni VP SARA ng SIYAM (9) na KAKAMPING SENADOR

Sa ngayon, sigurado siya sa boto ng apat (4) na nasa Senado pa: Robin, Jinggoy, Allan Peter, at Mark Villar. Medyo sigurado na rin siya sa dalawa (2) ng PDP-Laban ni Digong na pasók sa Top 12 ng surveys: Bong Go at Bato de la Rosa. Kailangan na lang ng tatlo (3) para maka-siyam.

Ito ang dahilan ng kanyang pag-endorso kina Imee Marcos at Camille Villar, kahit pa kadugo’t kaalyado ng BBM Alyansa. At ng pag-endorso ni Cong. Pulong Duterte kina Gringo Honasan at Ariel Querubin (utos daw ni Digong@ICC).  Pag nakapasok iyang apat (4), may sampu (10) nang kakampi ang VP at pihadong mahahatulan siyang inosente kahit maysala.

At kung hindi man makapasok sa Magic 12 sina Honasan at Querubin, nandiyan naman sina Willie Revillame at Philip Salvador na akyat-panaog labas-pasok sa Top 12 ng mga survey. At baka maaasahan din si Pia Cayetano na kabalikat ni Alan Peter.

Mas marami, mas mabuti para kay Sara. Kung makaka-13 siya, ibig sabihin, majority + one, makakayang palitan ang Senate President ng isang DDS. Yari tayo sa Impeachment Trial.

SA KABILANG BANDÁ
SA ATING BANDÁ

Kailangan natin ng sixteen (16) senators na magco-convict kay VP Sara batay sa mga ebidensiyang nasiwalat sa QuadComm hearings na napanood at napakinggan natin.

May maasahan tayong apat (4) na nasa Senado pa: Chiz Escudero, Risa Hontiveros, Win Gatchalian, at Raffy Tulfo (?).  Hindi tayo sigurado kina JV, Loren, Joel, at Migs.

May maaasahan ding pito (7) na BBM-Alyansang pasók sa top 12 ng SWS April survey — Erwin Tulfo, Lito Lapid, Tito Sotto, Bong Revilla, Abby Binay, Ping Lacson, at Manny Pacquiao.

Totoo, ayaw na sana natin sa mga tulad nilang mga lumang politiko o “trapo” (traditional politicians), lalo na yung mga artista’t dinastiya, na sa hinaba-haba ng panahon ay di nakapagpasá ng mga batas para sa malawakan at malalim na pagbabago ng isang marumi at maramot na sistemang pangkabuhayan.

Pero bilang mga kakampi ni BBM sa Alyansa slate, puwede silang asahan na magdesisyon sa Impeachment Trial batay sa ebidensiya, alang-alang sa Inang Bayan.

Kung dati-rati ay iniismiran o binabale-wala natin ang mga survey — iba kasing mga kandidato ang gusto nating manalo, at sila ang ating ibinoboto, basta, kahit nangungulelat at pihadong matatalo — SA HALALANG ITO ay hinihingi sa atin na bumoto tayo ayon sa survey.

Oo, maniwala tayo sa survey. Noong May 2022 nga, nanalo ang labing-isa (11) sa labing-dalawa (12) na pasók sa Top 12 ng Pulse Asia April survey.

SIXTEEN (16) VOTES para mahatulang maysala si VP Sara.

May apat (4) na nasa Senado pa, plus pito (7) na pasók sa Top 12, ay labing-isa (11). Kailangan natin ng lima (5) pa.

Pumili tayo doon sa mga may laban, yung di malayo sa Top 12, na maasahan natin sa Impeachment Trial. Tulad nina Bam Aquino (15th), Kiko Pangilinan (16th), at Benhur Abalos (18th). At konting kembot na lang sana, sina Heidi Mendoza (24th), France Castro (26th), Leody de Guzman (32nd), at Luke Espiritu (30th).

Parang ganito rin ang iniisip ni former VP Leni Robredo na ka-e-endorse kina Benhur at Manny Pacquiao, idinagdag kina Heidi, Bam, at Kiko. May pag-asa talaga.

LISTAHAN ng 14
Pumili ng 12

Benhur Abalos
Bam Aquino
Abby Binay
France Castro
Luke Espiritu
Leody de Guzman
Kiko Pangilinan
Ping Lacson
Lito Lapid
Heidi Mendoza
Manny Pacquiao
Bong Revilla
Tito Sotto
Erwin Tulfo

Kung ayaw mo sa artista, ilaglag sa listahan si Revilla (na kurakot din daw) at si Lapid. O kaya, dalawang dinastiya (si Revilla pa rin). Ang mahalaga ay maka-12, pandagdag sa apat (4) na incumbent Senators na kakampi na natin. para maka-16 Senators na maaasahang isasaalang-alang ang ebidensiya sa mga kasong kriminal na hinaharap ng VP.

Ipakalat ang listahan mo. Ipalaganap ang panawagang ito.

#VoteToImpeach #SaraMaysala