Hontiveros urges VP Sara to respond to Senate summons

Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday called on Vice President Sara Duterte to provide an answer to the writ of summons issued to her by the Senate impeachment court last Wednesday. 

To recall, Duterte was given a non-extendible period of 10 days, starting June 11, to answer to the articles of impeachment against her.

“One good way for the Vice President to start presenting her arguments is by filing an answer to the summons issued by the Senate impeachment court last week,” Hontiveros said in a video message.

“Hinihintay nating lahat ang kanyang magiging tugon dito, at sa mga susunod na proseso kaugnay ng impeachment trial,” she added.

(We are all waiting for her response to this, as well as the subsequent proceedings regarding the impeachment trial.) 

The Senate Sergeant-At-Arms served the summons at Duterte's office in Mandaluyong City last Wednesday morning. The Office of the Vice President (OVP) thereafter confirmed receipt of the summons. 

Duterte on Monday said that she has not yet read the summons.

“Hindi ko pa kasi alam kung kinakailangan ang personal appearance. ‘Yun ang hindi ko alam dahil hindi ko nabasa ‘yung summons. ‘Yung summons namin ay nandoon sa mga abogado at sila ‘yung magde-desisyon kung ano ‘yung gagawin doon sa summons,” she said at a press conference in Davao City.

(I don't know yet if my personal appearance is necessary. I don't know because I haven’t read the summons. The summons are with my lawyers and they are the ones who will decide what to do with it.) 

The Vice President earlier expressed that members of her legal team are "more than confident" that they will win the impeachment case filed against her.

Biased?

Hontiveros, meanwhile, maintained that as a senator-judge, she will carefully look at all the evidence that will be presented in the impending impeachment trial of Duterte.

“Noong nanumpa kami bilang senator-judge, naging tungkulin namin sa Senado na suriin at bumoto ayon sa bigat ng ebidensiya na ilalahad ng magkabilang panig sa impeachment trial—kakampi man, o kritiko ng pangalawang pangulo. Sinusunod ko po ang tungkulin na iyan, at inaasahan ko rin ito sa ibang senador,” she said.

(When we took our oath as senator-judge, it became our duty at the Senate to examine and vote according to the weight of the evidence presented by both sides in the impeachment trial—whether we are an ally, or a critic of the Vice President. I observe that duty, and I expect the same from other senators.)

Duterte earlier said that senator-judges should not be urged to recuse themselves from the impeachment trial solely based on their political bias, after she was joined in Malaysia by senator-judges Imee Marcos and Robin Padilla, with the latter declaring Duterte the next president of the Philippines.

The Vice President said if those in her corner should recuse themselves, then those who have been critical of her, including Hontiveros, should also be barred from the impeachment trial. 

The Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, last Tuesday voted 18-5 to bring Duterte’s case back to the lower chamber without dismissing or terminating it.

The House of Representatives impeached Duterte on February 5, with over 200 lawmakers endorsing the complaint. The articles of impeachment were transmitted to the Senate the same day, but the upper chamber adjourned without tackling the impeachment case.

Duterte was accused of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the constitution, graft and corruption, and other high crimes. — BM, GMA Integrated News