Manila 3rd District Representative Joel Chua is pushing for early Supreme Court intervention to clarify voting protocols ahead of the Senate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Chua, a member of the House prosecution panel, stated that resolving these rules early is critical to avoiding future legal complications.
The main point of contention centers on whether senators who are physically absent during the proceedings should be allowed to vote on the final verdict.
“Ito ay malaking issue talaga pagdating sa numero dahil ako personally (ay) naniniwala (na) dapat kung sino lamang yung nagpa-participate sa impeachment trial, dapat yun lamang ang boboto,” Chua remarked during a media forum on Saturday.
Chua compared the impeachment process to a standard court trial, arguing that a judge must personally observe testimonies to ensure fairness.
“Papano sila boboto kung hindi naman nila nakita yung testigo, hindi nila na-assess yung demeanor, hindi nila nakita at na-assess kung ito ay nagsisinungaling o hindi?” he questioned.
Emphasizing the urgency of the situation, Chua noted,
“Siguro mas maganda the soonest, the better dahil… ang trial po less than a month na lang magsisimula na.”
Attendance concerns are heightened by the current composition of the Senate, which has effectively dropped to 22 active members.
Senator Jinggoy Estrada remains detained on plunder charges, while Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa is in hiding following an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court.
Chua warned that a smaller pool of active senators could affect the constitutional voting threshold required for a conviction.
“Kung susundin natin yung ganitong sistema, definitely it will affect the voting,” he added.
While the prosecution panel plans to discuss a potential Supreme Court petition after the June 18 pretrial conference, Chua clarified that the move has not been formally adopted.
However, he maintained that settling these procedural issues is vital before the trial officially begins on July 6.