PRESIDING SENATOR-JUDGE ESCUDERO:
(0:00:01) With the permission of Senator-Judge Cayetano, of course, can they do their thing?
SENATOR-JUDGE ALAN PETER CAYETANO:
(0:00:05) Yes, I was going to suggest that, I have a question about tomorrow. Maybe the defense can do their huddle while I ask this question. The question naman is…
PRESIDING SENATOR-JUDGE ESCUDERO:
(0:00:17) Senator Cayetano Alan is recognized.
SENATOR-JUDGE ALAN PETER CAYETANO:
(0:00:18) Thank you, Mr. Presiding Officer, Mr. Senate President. This is addressed actually to the presiding officer, senate president, and our colleagues. So are we going to have the oral arguments tomorrow about the… So I think we all received the…
PRESIDING SENATOR-JUDGE ESCUDERO:
(0:00:36) Copies have been distributed. The memoranda of the parties have been distributed.
SENATOR-JUDGE ALAN PETER CAYETANO:
(0:00:41) More or less, it’s 33 and 32 pages. So that’s 60 pages. I’m beginning to study it today because I had to study about other matters tomorrow. So the second question is, while we will have the oral arguments tomorrow, will we decide as a body tomorrow or we have a little bit more time to digest what was discussed tomorrow and then decide on Monday?
PRESIDING SENATOR-JUDGE ESCUDERO:
(0:01:05) We will decide as a body tomorrow because my understanding is the parties will be needing time to analyze whatever data will be produced should the subpoenas be granted.
SENATOR-JUDGE ALAN PETER CAYETANO:
(0:01:20) But that is for Article… the subpoenas for…
PRESIDING SENATOR-JUDGE ESCUDERO:
(0:01:27) That is correct, Your Honor. That is for Article 2
SENATOR-JUDGE ALAN PETER CAYETANO:
(0:01:32) which we will start hearing in August, right?
PRESIDING SENATOR-JUDGE ESCUDERO:
(0:01:35) As of now, it is the last one, but as we had talked about earlier, the prosecutors can decide to bump it up depending on their strategy to present evidence.
SENATOR-JUDGE ALAN PETER CAYETANO:
(0:01:45) So I’m not moving that we postpone the oral arguments tomorrow because I think we’re ready to listen. But I do want to make an intelligent decision, and there are many, many issues from…
(0:02:02) Yeah, the test of if it’s definite, is it a fishing expedition in 20 years? So there’s so many issues. Would it be possible that we also have our own huddle tomorrow before we decide just in case…I mean, if everyone’s ready to decide tomorrow, who am I to stop the decision? But I just don’t want to make a mistake in deciding at medyo makapal itong…
(0:02:35) Assuming we read it once tonight, maybe once tomorrow.
PRESIDING SENATOR-JUDGE ESCUDERO:
(0:02:39) The presiding officer yields to the Senate President with respect to the calling of a caucus tomorrow and what time?
SENATOR-JUDGE ALAN PETER CAYETANO:
(0:02:49) Well, let me leave it to the presiding officer and Senate President. My proposal is after the oral arguments and after all the senator judges have asked their questions just so that we have one more night or one weekend to go through it and to…if we’re not going to vote on it and we have a consensus then no problem, and it there’s a precedent because we did this during the time of the late senate president Enrile when it came to issues that were of utmost importance that could decide the impeachment trial results one way or the other, but that do have implications in terms of presidents, especially ito, pinag-uusapan natin, AMLA at tsaka BIR.
PRESIDING SENATOR-JUDGE ESCUDERO:
(0:03:37) The Senate president is recognized to respond.
SENATOR-JUDGE GATCHALIAN:
(0:03:40) I share the same feeling with Senator-Judge Alan Cayetano. I started reading both memos and indeed it’s quite lengthy and complicated and we need to also consult our legal teams. So may I propose, Mr. Presiding Officer, to have a caucus tomorrow at 10 a.m. so that we can thoroughly discuss this discussion
SENATOR-JUDGE ALAN PETER CAYETANO:
(0:04:10) Sir, Senate President, I mean, I really thank you that twice already during impeachment, without talking, we have the same wavelength. May I propose that if we have a caucus after, just so that we can… for all we know maganda yung discussion and were enlightened by the prosecution.
PRESIDING SENATOR-JUDGE ESCUDERO:
(0:04:28) So during the break.
SENATOR-JUDGE ALAN PETER CAYETANO:
(0:04:29) And to be honest, I’ll probably still be reading this at 10 a.m.
SENATOR-JUDGE GATCHALIAN:
(0:04:35) If that is the pleasure of the body, we can have a caucus maybe after?
PRESIDING SENATOR-JUDGE ESCUDERO:
(0:04:41) During the break.
SENATOR-JUDGE GATCHALIAN:
(0:04:42) After the oral arguments, we’ll pause for a break and have a caucus.
PRESIDING SENATOR-JUDGE ESCUDERO:
(0:04:47) We can call a longer break, Senator Judge.
SENATOR-JUDGE ALAN PETER CAYETANO:
(0:04:49) Thank you, Senate President and Senator.
