Philippine Senate all set for President's impeachment trial

Philippine Senate all set for President's impeachment trial
AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

MANILA, NOV 19: The Philippine Senate is set to convene as a tribunal for President Joseph Estrada's historic impeachment trial, with Senate President Aquilino Pimentel pledging on Sunday to oversee a speedy and impartial process.

He said the 22 members of the Upper House would be sworn in as jurors on Monday by Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide, who would preside as the jury's non-voting chairman. Pimentel said his role as Senate Chief would be "to assist the Chief Justice so that the flow of the impeachment trial would not be unnecessarily delayed." "This is one more challenge for me to do what I have to do and I intend to do that according to my conscience," Pimentel said. The senators will be sworn in "to do impartial justice, to see to it that we decide the impeachment not on the basis of our personal, political and social relations with the President but on the basis of evidence." After the swearing-in, Pimentel would issue a summons for Estrada to officially answer the charges within 10 days after which the prosecutors would be asked to comment on the reply within five days.

Eleven prosecutors earlier appointed by the House of Representatives from its ranks would also be called on Monday for a meeting to "narrow down" a list of witnesses and issues to only those crucial to the case. Estrada's trial on charges of corruption, betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the constitution and bribery would then begin on December 7. "I really want to see this nightmare over by the end of December," Pimentel said.

Hearings would be conducted for five hours from Monday to Friday and the only possible respite would be on Christmas day. Pimentel said the Senate should be viewed by the public as an "impartial arbiter", otherwise the verdict could have "extreme" effects.

He said he expected the Senators "to rise above personal, political and partisan considerations." Estrada became the first Philippine President to be impeached after a former friend accused him of accepting millions of dollars in payoffs from illegal gambling bosses and skimming excise taxes on tobacco.

The President has denied the charges and has expressed confidence he would be vindicated in the impeachment trial. A two-thirds vote is needed to remove Estrada from office, and each Senator is required to explain his vote. No one can abstain.

Estrada can be ousted through "efficient, clear and convincing evidence" and it is not required for him to be found guilty beyond reasonable doubt since the impeachment process is more of a political exercise and not a criminal trial, Pimentel said. Congressman Roan Libarios, a member of the prosecution team, meanwhile urged Senators to go on "indefinite leave" from their respective political parties while trying the case.

"All 22 sitting Senators should shun partisan political activities. And if that means having to go on leave from their political parties, so be it," Libarios said. He said they should also refrain from activities that would show their political leanings, such as attending anti-Estrada or pro-Estrada rallies. Earlier, Opposition members urged some Senators affiliated with the Estrada's ruling coalition to inhibit themselves after allegedly pre-judging the case in favor of the 63-year-old President. Pimentel said the senators would also be asked to refrain from issuing public statements on the issue. "This is a painful process, but it will also cause all of us to reflect on our obligation to keep our electoral system and our vote to be sacred," he said.