Activist group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) condemned Vice President Sara Duterte’s refusal to attend the ongoing impeachment hearing, saying the move shows her utter disdain for the people’s clamor for truth, accountability, and justice.
Duterte’s continuing snub of the constitutional proceeding indicates her desperate attempt to delay and disrupt the impeachment investigations, Bayan said.
Duterte did not attend today’s Committee on Justice (CoJ) hearing on finding probable cause on impeachment complaints against her at the House of Representatives (HoR).
Duterte against sent an ad cautelam letter to the CoJ on Tuesday questioning the committee’s jurisdiction to conduct today’s hearing and saying the hearing is a mere “fishing expedition.”
An ad cautelam (Latin, meaning “with caution”) is a procedural manoeuvre that, while responding, refuses to acknowledge the recipient’s jurisdiction. It is referred to in legal circles as a “just in case” measure or “to be on the safe side.”
It is only the Senate that should conduct an impeachment trial, the vice president’s letter reads.
Duterte stated she would rather spend her time on helping Filipinos and believes the committee should dismiss the complaints.
But Bayan said it is foul for Duterte to use the ongoing crisis as an excuse to snub HoR’s invitation.
Public officials invoking the crisis to evade accountability for grievous wrongdoing smacks of hypocrisy and opportunism, the group added, and should not be allowed to belittle the public demand to combat corruption and impunity, it added.
Mini-trial to proceed
The CoJ, however, decided to proceed with the “mini-trial” to determine whether the two approved impeachment complaints against Duterte have “probable cause.”
Committee members said Duterte’s new ad cautelam reply is wrong in assuming that the HoR is without jurisdiction.
The legislators said it should continue in its investigations of evidence and documents pertaining to Duterte’s statements of assets, liabilities and net worth as well as bank and corporate records.
The documents are related to impeachment allegations that the vice president enriched herself through, among others, misuse of public funds.
The CoJ also decided to “not dignify” Duterte’s letter with a reply.
Committee chairperson Gerville Luistro also said Duterte’s continuing snub of the proceedings weakens her chance to convincing lawmakers that the complaints have no probable cause.
The impeachment complaints have previously determined the two impeachment complaints are sufficient in form, in substance, and in grounds. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)