NGAYON pa lamang ay maaari ng maglabas ng writ of summons ang Senado kay Vice President Sara Duterte at payagan ang magkabilang panig na makapaghain na ng mga pleadings upang mapabilis ang proseo ng impeachment, ayon kay House Prosecutor Lorenz R. Defensor, ng ikatlong district ng Iloilo.

“We want them to issue it now. It will expedite the process lalo na pagdating sa mga pleadings na fina-file,” sabi ni Defensor sa panayam ni Karen Davila sa programang Headstart ng ANC noong Miyerkoles.

Nauna nang naghain ng mosyon ang House prosecution panel sa Senado, na magsisilbing Impeachment Court, para hilingin ang pagpapalabas ng writ of summons para atasan ang Bise Presidente na sagutin sa verified impeachment complaint na inihain ng Kamara laban sa kanya noong Pebrero 5.

Ang hakbang ay nakabatay sa Rule 7 ng Senate Rules of Impeachment, na nagbibigay ng hanggang sampung araw para sa impeached official na maghain ng sagot.

“We have seen how the Senate works very hard. Even during their break, they can conduct committee hearings. Some of them even during the campaign period are still working,” sabi ni Defensor

“And remember that if you conduct a legislative inquiry, it should be in aid of legislation. So somehow, the Senate is functioning, and we do not see any reason why we should delay an impeachment of a Vice President that involves national interests of utmost national significance,” saad niya.

“We want to speed up the process of the pleadings. Para pagdating ng kumpletong Senado ay ready for trial na tayong lahat with all the pleadings dispensed with,” idinagdag niya.

Paliwanag ni Defensor, maaari nang kumilos ang Senado kahit hindi pa ito pormal na nagpupulong bilang Impeachment Court.

“We have existing Senate impeachment rules as of today because Senate Resolution No. 39, which is the Senate Rules on Impeachment that has been previously approved and published still subsists. It’s still in operation,” ipununto ni Defensor.

“So, if the Senate President as presiding judge will recognize that the rules are still valid, he can issue that summons against the Vice President so she can answer,” paliwanag ni Defensor.

“Actually Karen, even the Senate rules acknowledge that the trial shall forthwith proceed. And under Rule 7 of the Senate Rules on Impeachment, dapat mag-issue na rin sila agad-agaran ng summons,” pagiit niya.

Ani Defensor ang mas maagang pagbibigay ng summon ang magbibigay ng sapat na oras sa magkabilang partido na makapaghanda ng mabuti.

“The difference is if the vice president files her answer within a non-extendable period of 10 days and it gives the prosecution time to also study her answer and her defenses,” ani Defensor.

“It gives us time to file our reply based on Rule 7 of the Senate Rules of Impeachment to file our reply within an unextendible period of also five days. So puwede na naming parehong pag-aralan ang kaso para pagdating ng June, tapos na ito,” pagpapatuloy ni Defensor.

“We can proceed with the trial, mark our evidence, and the sooner that the vice president faces this trial, whether she will be convicted or acquitted, we can dispense with this and have national closure with respect to this impeachment case,” aniya.

Nang tanungin kung dapat ba munang pormal na magpulong ang Senado bilang Impeachment Court, tumugon siya, “Well, let’s just say that as of now, we have a presiding judge in the Senate president.”

“So we will continue to push our position that way so that we can speed up this impeachment process,” sabi ni Defensor.