Ethics complaint filed vs. Pia Cayetano over 'spliced' Chel Diokno video in impeachment trial

Several women’s rights advocates, academics, and feminists on Wednesday filed an ethics complaint against Senator Pia Cayetano over a social media post that allegedly featured a spliced video of Akbayan party-list Representative Chel Diokno in the impeachment trial.

The complainants asked the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate and impose appropriate disciplinary sanctions against Cayetano for allegedly posting the misleading video while serving as a senator-judge in the ongoing impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, at which Diokno is a prosecutor.

“Naniniwala kami na dapat imbestigahan ang ginawang pag-post ni Senator Pia ng spliced video during an impeachment trial process," Juanna Caumeran of EveryWoman told reporters.

"Naniniwala kami na ito ay hindi magandang conduct, hindi tamang conduct ng isang senador, lalong-lalo na ng isang senator-judge sa isang ongoing impeachment trial,” she added.

(We believe the Senate Ethics Committee should probe Cayetano’s posting of the spliced video during an impeachment trial process. We believe it is not proper conduct, especially of a senator-judge serving in an ongoing impeachment trial.)

“Nananawagan kami sa Ethics Committee na simulan na ang imbestigasyon at kung kinakailangang patawan ng karampartang parusa ang senadora sa kaniyang ginawang pag-post ng official FB page nya ng spliced video,” Caumeran said.

(We believe the Senate Ethics Committee should investigate and impose appropriate disciplinary sanctions against Cayetano on her actions.)

GMA News has sought Cayetano’s reaction to the ethics case filed against her.

However, GMA News had a chance interview with the senator prior to the filing of the cases, but Cayetano declined to comment on the controversy.

According to the complainants, Cayetano's actions violated the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA) and breached the constitutional oath of senator-judges to render "impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws of the Philippines.”

They also said Cayetano undermined public confidence in the neutrality expected of the impeachment court and risked eroding trust in both the Senate and the impeachment process when she reposted the video.

The complainants are former Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chair Patricia "Tatti" Licuanan, University of the Philippines-Diliman professor Jean Franco, who is also Co-Convenor of Everywoman, Maria Cristy Balleras, Jocelyn Gerldino, Janette Balanguit and Estrella Soriana of the Parents Initiative and Social Awareness Mainstreaming Advocacy (PINASAMA), Hammimah Sarip Kalaw of the Sanctuary Network, Joahna Marie Dela Cruz, Student Council President of the Pamantasan Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM)-College of Public Administration, Edrianna Villaruz of the Student Council Alliance of the Philippines (SCAP), Joanna Marie Caumeran of Everywoman, Oliva Solis of the District Wide Advocates Quezon City (DIWA), and Lourdes Magtibay of the Pandayan Para sa Sosyalistang Pilipinas (PANDAYAN).

Senate Ethics Chair Tito Sotto said that the committee will take up the matter on August 6, adding that this is a separate matter from the impeachment trial.

“Anything that has to do with the senate, we would as much as possible we’ll not allow it to be, ikanga eh, transgressing into the work of the impeachment court, Sotto said in Joseph Morong's report on 24 Oras.

What went before

The spliced video that Cayetano shared showed rough cuts of Diokno’s discussion with Senator-judge Alan Peter Cayetano, which made it appear that the House was only hinging their hopes of evidence against Duterte on a mere whim, making it seem like a fishing expedition against the vice president.

However, the full context of the discussion was Diokno’s explanation to Alan on what the definition of a fishing expedition was—and why this was not the case for the House.

“What you are referring to as a fishing expedition, we can only say that that is happening only if the party requesting the evidence or documents is just taking a chance that maybe there is something there. In our case, I have to disagree that there was any sort of fishing expedition because based on what the Committee on Justice and later the plenary of the House found was sufficient, there was enough cause to proceed with the case,” Diokno said in a mix of English and Filipino. –with Jean Mangaluz/NB/BM, GMA News