Cayetano warns mid-trial vote threshold change could risk mistrial
Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano on Friday warned that changing the voting threshold midway through Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial could risk a mistrial, maintaining that the rules governing the proceedings should remain the same from start to finish.
“I don’t want to have a mistrial. Ayoko po na maibasura lahat ng trabaho na ginawa sa trial na ito,” he said during a Facebook livestream on September 18.
“And fairness dictates na kung ano ang rules mo sa umpisa, iyon ang rules mo sa huli,” he added.
Cayetano’s remarks came after the impeachment court heard conflicting views from its amici curiae on September 16, with retired Chief Justices Hilario Davide Jr., Artemio Panganiban, and Reynato Puno saying the 16-vote threshold is not necessarily fixed, and retired Associate Justice Adolfo Azcuna maintaining that all 24 sitting senators should remain the denominator.
Cayetano said he deliberately stayed out of discussions on revisiting the threshold because, in his view, the issue had already been settled when Presiding Officer Francis Escudero ruled at the start of the trial on July 6 that 16 votes are required to convict.
“No offense sa lahat ng amicus na nagbigay ng oras nila, kinikilala ko sila, I honor them, I honor their opinions… Pero hindi pwedeng in the middle of the trial, doon natin pag-uusapan na iibahin natin y’ung rules,” he said.
Cayetano also rejected treating constitutional voting requirements as numbers that could move depending on circumstances, stressing that they carry specific meaning.
“Ang numbers sa Constitution ay fixed… Y’ung mga numbers na ‘yan are not arbitrary numbers na nandyan lang,” he said.
Cayetano maintained that both sides should be given every opportunity to make their case, but under rules applied consistently throughout the proceedings.
“You give the prosecution all the opportunity to prove their case and to convict the accused. And you give the defense all the opportunity to defend their client and get her or him, depending on the impeachment case, acquitted,” he said.
The impeachment court is scheduled to hear oral arguments from the prosecution and defense on September 23 before senator-judges decide whether to retain Escudero’s existing 16-vote ruling.
Filipino Version
Cayetano nagbabala sa pagbabago ng voting threshold sa kalagitnaan ng impeachment trial
Nagbabala si Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano nitong Biyernes na maaaring malagay sa panganib ang bisa ng impeachment trial ni Vice President Sara Duterte kung babaguhin ang voting threshold sa kalagitnaan ng paglilitis.
Giit ng senador, dapat manatiling pareho ang mga panuntunan mula simula hanggang matapos ang paglilitis upang maiwasang mauwi sa mistrial o pagpapawalang-bisa ng mga naging proseso.
“I don’t want to have a mistrial. Ayoko po na maibasura lahat ng trabaho na ginawa sa trial na ito,” wika ni Cayetano sa isang Facebook livestream nitong September 18.
“And fairness dictates na kung ano ang rules mo sa umpisa, iyon ang rules mo sa huli,” dagdag niya.
Ito ay kasunod ng magkakaibang pananaw ng mga inimbitahang amici curiae ng impeachment court nitong September 16 kung saan sinabi nina retired Chief Justices Hilario Davide Jr., Artemio Panganiban at Reynato Puno na hindi kinakailangang manatiling 16 na boto ang threshold para sa conviction, habang iginiit naman ni retired Associate Justice Adolfo Azcuna na dapat manatiling 24 ang denominator batay sa lahat ng nakaupong senador.
Ayon kay Cayetano, sinadya niyang hindi makisali sa mga talakayan hinggil dito dahil para sa kanya, naayos na ang usapin nang magpasya si Presiding Officer Francis Escudero noong simula ng palilitis noong July 6 na 16 na boto ang kailangan para sa conviction.
“No offense sa lahat ng amicus na nagbigay ng oras nila, kinikilala ko sila, I honor them, I honor their opinions… Pero hindi pwedeng in the middle of the trial, doon natin pag-uusapan na iibahin natin y’ung rules,” wika ni niya.
Binigyang diin din ni Cayetano na hindi dapat ituring ang mga itinakdang voting requirement sa Konstitusyon na mga numerong maaaring baguhin depende sa sitwasyon.
“Ang numbers sa Constitution ay fixed… Y’ung mga numbers na ‘yan are not arbitrary numbers na nandyan lang,” wika niya.
Aniya, dapat mabigyan ng sapat na pagkakataon ang prosecution at defense na maipakita ang kani-kanilang panig, ngunit sa ilalim ng iisang rules na pare-parehong ipatutupad sa buong paglilitis.
“You give the prosecution all the opportunity to prove their case and to convict the accused. And you give the defense all the opportunity to defend their client and get her or him, depending on the impeachment case, acquitted,” wika niya.
Nakatakdang dinggin ng impeachment court sa September 23 ang oral arguments ng prosecution at defense bago magpasya ang mga senator-judge kung pananatilihin ang naunang ruling ni Escudero na 16 na boto ang kailangan para sa conviction.
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