Enrile scolds Tupas for revealing evidence, tells him to study law

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile on Thursday criticized chief House prosecutor Niel Tupas Jr. for presenting evidence that will be used in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona and claiming that he did not violate any rules in doing so.

 

"Sabihin mo kay Tupas, mag-aral muna siya ng batas. Mag-aral muna siya," Enrile told reporters during an interview on Thursday.

 

Enrile will sit as the presiding officer of the impeachment court, which will be made up of senators sitting as judges.

 

The Senate president issued the statement after Tupas said members of his team did not violate any Senate rule on impeachment proceedings when they showed to the media documents on Corona’s condominium unit in Taguig City.

 

Section XVIII of Senate Resolution 39, which contains the rules on the impeachment trial, prohibits prosecutors, senator-judges, the person impeached, their counsel and witnesses from “making any comments and disclosures in public pertaining to the merits of a pending impeachment trial.”

 

Because of this, Enrile reminded Tupas to refrain from issuing anymore statements on the merits of the case.

 

"Unfair naman sa nakasakdal. We must exercise fairness kahit na galit tayo sa tao, kahit na kinasusuklaman natin dapat igalang natin ang karapatan niya, sa ilalim ng proseso natin, lalo na sa Saligang Batas," he said. 'Complainant'

 

Enrile likewise said that Tupas cannot cite as defense the fact that they have not yet been formally presented to the impeachment court as the prosecution panel.

 

"He’s a complainant, naiintindihan ba niya ang ginagawa niya? Ano ba sya? He is not only a lawyer, he is a complainant. My God. Hindi ba niya naintindihan ang ginagawa niya?" he said.

 

Although saying that he is "very lenient," Enrile said the Senate can cite anybody for contempt if they continue to violate the rules of the impeachment court.

 

But the senator said that if Tupas really wants to continue presenting evidence against Corona to the public, then they should just withdraw the impeachment complaint.

 

"Kaya nga sila nagfile ng impeachment case para doon i-present ang evidence. Kung gusto nila na litisin yung kaso sa labas ng impeachment court, then they should withdraw the case at isiwalat nila kung ano yung gusto nilang ebidensya," he said.

 

"If we are going to try the person in public, bakit kailangan pa natin mga hukom?" he added. 'Liberated'

 

Senator Koko Pimentel, for his part, said that he is more "liberated" and that he is more inclined to just ignore everything that has been reported about the issue.

 

"Hindi na po kami makikialam sa mga strategy nila basta they should follow the rules of the Senate and then if they want to test the limits of the rules, be prepared for the consequences," Pimentel said during the weekly forum at the Senate on Thursday.

 

On Wednesday, Senators Panfilo Lacson and Francis Escudero warned Tupas from making anymore comments in connection with the impeachment.

The impeachment court will resume session on January 16 but the trial is expected to start on a later date.

 

Enrile said the first thing they will take up when they resume session is the motion of Corona for a preliminary hearing meant to declare the impeachment complaint against him "defective."

 

In his Answer to the Articles of Impeachment, Corona sought the outright dismissal of the complaint citing constitutional infirmities and bias against him.