Raffy Tulfo wants impeachment court spox sanctioned

Senator-judge Raffy Tulfo on Monday asked the Senate impeachment court to admonish its spokesperson, lawyer Reginald Tongol, for telling the media that the verdict in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte would be out by December 16.

Tulfo made the call amid an earlier stern warning from the court to the prosecution and defense panel spokespersons against making pronouncements to the media.

“Maybe we should give a warning to our spokesperson. People were calling me over the weekend, saying we have prejudged the outcome since Atty. Tongol told the media that we will have a final verdict by December 16,” Tulfo said during Day 33 of the impeachment trial.

Senate impeachment court presiding officer Francis Escudero said Tongol's announcement was based on the pre-trial order, which set the schedule for the proceedings.

Escudero said the December 16 date was arrived at through a mathematical computation, based on the 61 days requested by the prosecution to present its evidence and the 30 days sought by the defense.

“That is based on the calendar in the pre-trial order. It is based on math. It is not based on the realities on the ground,” Escudero said.

“It (Tongol's statement) is not the point of view of the court,” he added.

Tulfo, however, stood by his call.

“It is about time we admonish him. This is not the first time. Maraming beses na syang sumablay, pumalpak," he said.

(He has made mistakes and failed many times. Good for him, he seems to know a lot, but we, the senator-judges, my colleagues, there are things we don't know.)

"Buti pa sya marami siyang alam, eh itong mga senator-judges mga kasamahan ko there are things na hindi namin alam, nabubulaga na lamang kami kapag nagdakdak sya sa media, kumbaga inuunahan nya tayo, pine-preempt nya tayo,” Tulfo said.

(We are simply caught off guard when he speaks to the media. In other words, he gets ahead of us and preempts us.)

Escudero responded that he would take the matter "in advisement."

GMA News Online reached out to Tongol for his comment and will update this story once he responds.— MCG, GMA News

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