Erwin Tulfo to senators-judges: Bring grievances outside impeachment court

Sen. Erwin Tulfo (INQUIRER file photo / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA) MANILA, Philippines — Days after the prosecution panel was told to bring their manifestations outside the Senate Impeachment Court, it is the turn of senator-judges to be reminded that their personal grievances should not be brought up during a proceeding meant to discuss only issues against Vice President Sara Duterte. During the resumption of trial on Monday, Senator-judge Erwin Tulfo urged his colleagues to take their personal concerns to press conferences and other avenues, as the time spent for the trial should not be wasted over matters not related to the impeachment. “These past few days, Mr. Presiding Officer, Senate President, my colleagues, I have observed that the time of the impeachment court is being used by some our fellow senator-judges to answer accusations. This is not the right forum and the right venue, and not the right time to explain your situation,” Tulfo said in his manifestation. Article continues after this advertisement “If you want to explain your sentiments, you can do that outside the time of the impeachment court. You can have press conferences. The Senate media is there. You can call them anytime they are in the Senate briefing room, press briefing room, and you can also explain your side through Facebook or YouTube,” he suggested. According to Tulfo, raising personal matters during the trial is an injustice to the vice president as the Senate is mandated to try Duterte quickly, and not waste time. “Let us not use the time of the impeachment court to explain our side or defend ourselves, as some have done the past few weeks. Because the time we waste here to defend ourselves, defend what we believe and what have you, is an injustice to the vice president,” Tulfo said. “The time spent here should be dedicated to hearing the vice president’s defense, not by defending ourselves if we are accused by agencies, if there are cases against us, or if there are investigations we are subjected to,” he added. Tulfo said this after Senator-judge Robin Padilla made a manifestation about a supposedly misleading narrative that he ignored the summons issued by the Office of the Ombudsman, over the so-called “escape” of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa from the Senate premises last May 2026. Article continues after this advertisement Dela Rosa has a pending arrest order from the International Criminal Court (ICC), and Padilla has been accused of assisting dela Rosa’s move to leave the Senate. READ: Ombudsman: Padilla ‘ignores’ summons on raps over Dela Rosa ‘escape’ Article continues after this advertisement But Tulfo said that since the impeachment court was created for the vice president, matters discussed within it should only be about issues involving Duterte. “This is not the right forum, Mr.Presiding Officer, Mr. President, Senate President. This is not the right place, this court was established, was created, the impeachment court, for the vice president and vice president only. This should be her time. This should be her forum, not our forum here where we will air our grievances and answer accusations,” the senator explained. “And this is not also the time, Mr. President, Mr. Presiding Officer, to find our colleagues whom we cannot see, those who are arrested. This should be done during the Senate session and not here in this court, Mr. Presiding Officer, Mr. Senate President. That’s why my request to the Presiding Officer and Senate President, let us follow the rules,” he added. Just this July 15, the sixth day of the impeachment trial, the prosecution was asked by Senator-judges Alan Peter Cayetano and Pia Cayetano — Padilla’s allies — to bring their manifestations outside the court and refrain from making statements that entail conclusions of fact and law. The Cayetano siblings’ request came after counsel for the prosecution Lorna Kapunan announced last Tuesday the prosecution’s decision to pull out the presentation of key witnesses for Article IV, or the grave threats accusations against Duterte. In her announcement, Kapunan made a manifestation saying that the prosecution believes that it has established their case already, which is why they think any testimony from Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez, chief of staff of the Office of the Vice President, will be redundant. READ: Prosecution won’t present Lopez anymore: Testimony is redundant Last Wednesday, after the Cayetano siblings’ reminder, Kapunan said that the call of senator-judges for balance should also apply to them. According to Kapunan, she does not mean to say that the court is biased, but only wanted to note that neither the prosecution nor the defense can object to statements that senator-judges made. READ: Call for balance should also apply to senator-judges – Kapunan After months of waiting, and over a year since she was first impeached, the Senate Impeachment Court started the vice president’s trial last July 6, with Article IV or the accusations that Duterte threatened President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and former House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez. Since then, six trial dates have been held, with the first day being dedicated to administrative matters, four days to the prosecution’s presentation of two witnesses, and one day for oral arguments on the request to subpoena Duterte’s tax documents and bank records. Monday will be dedicated to the oral arguments on the prosecution’s subpoena request. With all but one witness recalled, discussions on the prosecution’s argument for Article IV are expected to be finished. After this, the prosecution will then present evidence and witnesses for Article I, or the allegation that Duterte misused confidential funds allocated to her offices. /apl Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Your subscription has been successful.