Chiz needled to act on oust-VP bid ASAP

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III has written Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero urging him to adhere to the Constitution by acting immediately on the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.

In the letter he shared with the media on Tuesday, Pimentel, a lawyer, cited Article XI, Section 3, Paragraph 4 of the 1987 Constitution which states that the Senate must act “forthwith” on an impeachment case.

“Since it is a constitutional provision or term that we are giving meaning to, the term ‘forthwith’ must be interpreted in accordance with the verba legis rule, that is, it should be given its ‘plain and ordinary meaning,’” he said.

“According to the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, ‘forthwith’ means ‘without any delay’ or ‘without an interval of time.’ Its synonyms include immediately, instantaneously, instantly, presently, promptly, right away, right now, straight off, and straightaway, among others,” he added.

Pimentel noted that considering that the 1987 Constitution was promulgated in both English and Filipino, the official translation of “forthwith” is “agad.”

“The Filipino translation for ‘forthwith’ is ‘agad’ which conveys immediacy. The synonyms of this Filipino word include ‘madali,’ ‘bigla,’ ‘dagli,’ or ‘karakaraka’ which denote urgency or promptness,” he said.

“The above elaboration affirms that it is the Senate’s duty to act on the impeachment case of Vice President Sara Duterte ‘without any delay’ or ‘without an interval of time.’ I repeat that this is the Senate’s duty,” he stressed.

He told Escudero: “Given the gravity of impeachment proceedings, it is imperative that the Senate uphold its duty with urgency, diligence, and a steadfast commitment to the Constitution. I appreciate your prompt attention to this matter and look forward to your response.”

To recall, Escudero said the Senate may likely act on the impeachment complaint against Duterte after the State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in July.

According to Escudero, who is also a lawyer, the Senate can only begin the impeachment trial once the session opens since convening the impeachment court would require a plenary action.

In a separate interview, Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros said she supports Pimentel’s move urging the Senate leadership to act on the impeachment complaints against Duterte.

“Well, as a senator, and when the impeachment process reaches a point where a senator-judge is involved, we should remain neutral and impartial,” Hontiveros said.

She continued: “However, I stand with my minority leader, Senator Koko Pimentel, in which he believes in his letter that the Constitution clearly instructs us that once the Articles of Impeachment are transmitted to us, as happened in this case, we should immediately convene.”

Meanwhile, Senator Imee Marcos expressed support for Escudero’s decision to begin the impeachment proceedings against Duterte in July.

“That was discussed among the senators, and I agree with the decision of our Senate President,” Marcos said in a press conference, adding that a special session is not needed at the moment.

“That doesn’t help. Everyone is busy, and they might not have time to study and carefully examine the evidence that will be presented. On the other hand, when calling a special session, the only reason should be an urgent matter. But I feel like it’s not urgent because it’s been a long time,” she said.

President Marcos previously said that he would be open to calling a special session if senators formally request it to tackle the impeachment of Duterte.