On the fifth day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday, July 14, Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente “Tito” Sotto III intervened to guide the proceedings back to core constitutional matters.
The seasoned lawmaker expressed concern that the prolonged arguments over allegations of grave threats and inciting to sedition were only causing confusion among observers.
Addressing the chamber, Sotto sought clarification:
“I’m confused. Because I think that even some members of the public that are watching are confused by the discussion of grave threats and inciting to sedition. These are filed in regular courts, right?”
Atty. Jeremy Lotoc, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Regional Director for BARMM, agreed with the senator’s point.
Lotoc confirmed that while regular courts handle the preliminary investigation and prosecution of such statutory criminal cases, the impeachment tribunal is explicitly dealing with the constitutional ground of betrayal of public trust.
Sotto emphasized how critical it is for the public to comprehend the distinction between ordinary criminal offenses and the specific constitutional thresholds needed for impeachment.
The prosecution team appreciated the senator’s intervention, with veteran lawyer and private prosecutor Atty. Lorna Kapunan noting that Sotto’s query served as a much-needed anchor for the trial.
Kapunan pointed out:
”We are not a criminal court, and much time has been spent [on] is there grave threat, is there inciting to sedition? All of these are relevant…Does it make the Vice President a violator of the Constitution?”