Hontiveros: Impeachment Court spox only speaking for Escudero

Metro Manila, Philippines - Senator Risa Hontiveros pushed back against statements made by Impeachment Court spokesperson Regie Tongol, saying he does not represent the views of the court, only those of Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero.

“As a deliberative body, the strength of the Senate is in its collective judgement. Based on his statements at a recent press conference, he represents only the position of the Presiding Officer. But he does not represent mine, as one of the Senator-Judges,” Hontiveros said in a statement on Friday, July 4.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Tongol said Escudero cannot yet administer the oath to the new senators as senator-judges, which was requested by Hontiveros.

According to Tongol, Escudero is “erring on the side of caution” and prefers to wait until the Senate elects a new President in the 20th Congress to avoid potential legal questions about his authority in a holdover capacity.

Tongol said this is also why the Impeachment Court cannot reconvene yet — aside from the fact that it is still waiting for a formal communication from House members of the 20th Congress confirming their intent to pursue the trial.

Escudero, however, previously stated that the Impeachment Court may reconvene even before the 20th Congress opens, if initiated by a senator-judge and supported by the rest of the court.

“Hindi tugma ang matagal na nilang sinasabi na hindi pwedeng mag-convene at gumalaw ang Impeachment Court hanggang magsimula ang 20th Congress. Ngunit sa kabilang banda, dinidesisyunan na nila— unilaterally— ang mga panuntunan sa Impeachment Court,” Hontiveros said.

[Translation: What they’ve long been saying—that the Impeachment Court cannot convene or act until the 20th Congress begins—is inconsistent. On the other hand, they are already making decisions unilaterally about the rules of the Impeachment Court.]

“Out of respect for the institution, I hope we can be more mindful of process and allow us Senator-Judges to decide only when we are properly convened,” she added.

NewsWatch Plus has reached out to Tongol for comment.