Senator Robin Padilla expressed strong reservations on Monday regarding due process and equal protection after the Senate impeachment court ordered the disclosure of Vice President Sara Duterte’s financial documents amid claims of unexplained wealth.
Addressing the chamber on the trial’s seventh day, Padilla stated that while he advocates for government openness and the core values of the Freedom of Information (FOI) movement, legal protocols must be administered consistently across all impeachable officers.
“Meron din po kasing napakahalaga yung tinatawag na equal protection of the laws,” Padilla said, referring to Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution’s Bill of Rights.
The lawmaker stressed that constitutional guarantees apply to everyone, asserting that the norms established in this trial should extend equally to every impeachable authority.
“Ang mga pamantayang ginagamit natin ngayon ay dapat pareho rin ipinatutupad sa lahat ng impeachable officials, anuman ang kanilang pangalan o posisyon,” Padilla said.
To reinforce his point, Padilla referenced the late Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, highlighting her stance that interpreting the nation’s fundamental law demands specialized expertise and uncompromising commitment to procedural fairness.
“Constitutional analysis is a technical field. Ang pagsusuri sa konstitusyon ay hindi isang sining. Isa itong technical na larangan,” Padilla quoted Santiago.
He questioned whether comparable steps were taken in prior impeachment filings, echoing points previously raised by Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano regarding the complaint against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“Ang akin po lamang, makatarungan ba na hindi parehas ang trato natin dito? Dapat sana parehas eh,” he said.
Padilla proposed that if financial openness is the established measure for impeachment inquiries, every public officer should be subjected to the exact same level of inspection and disclosure.
“Bakit kung ganito ang pamantayan natin, hindi buksan na natin lahat ng bank records natin. Lahat na. Tayong lahat ay buksan na natin lahat para mapakita sa taong-bayan na wala tayong kinikilingan dito,” Padilla said.
Concluding his address, the senator entered his formal dissent against the court’s decree, reiterating that equal treatment under the law and before God must guide the trial.
“Pantay-pantay tayo sa harap ng Diyos at ng batas. At hinihingi ko sa inyo na ilagay sa record ang aking pagtutol sa ruling na ito,” he said.