Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano stressed the critical importance of keeping the Senate impeachment tribunal strictly impartial, warning that any perception of bias risks triggering widespread public distrust and undermining accountability.
Speaking on the 24th day of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, Cayetano questioned prosecution witness and retired Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang on the necessity of judicial independence amid political pressure.
Cayetano argued that a tribunal whose neutrality is compromised fails its core objective, as the public could reject or challenge its final ruling.
“Is it correct to say that ‘pag hindi impartial yung court, nari-risk na hindi magkaroon ng accountability? Kasi pwedeng ma-overturn sa appeal or people may not accept the judgement, or in other words, the impartiality of any tribunal is essential. Would you agree with that?” Cayetano asked.
Cabotaje-Tang concurred with the senator, affirming that a court’s impartiality directly governs the delivery of justice and its overall integrity.
Expanding on judicial independence, Cayetano acknowledged that political bodies serving as impeachment courts rarely operate free from external influence.
“In reality, there is dependence, co-dependence, as well as independence. And in reality, there can be pressures,” he noted.
The senator-judge reminded his peers that their conduct and adherence to established rules throughout the trial will carry long-term consequences for national governance.
“This impeachment court’s decision and how we conduct ourselves and whether we follow the rules or not will determine our destiny not only in the next years. That’s why these are very important questions,” Cayetano emphasized.