TURNING POINT: Delaying Justice

NAAWAN, Misamis Oriental (MindaNews / 07 June) – On February 5, 215 members of the House of Representatives, voted to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte for alleged culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, and graft and corruption.

Already four months after the House of Representatives transmitted to the Senate the articles of impeachment against the Vice President, nothing has been done about it.  

The Senate is constitutionally mandated to act promptly on matters of impeachment.

Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero appears to be delaying the trial.

Earlier, he announced that he would convene the Senate to try the case on June 2; then he moved it to June 11, the final session day of the 19^th Congress. And lately, he wants the Senate plenary to decide on convening itself into a trial court, while acknowledging that he can do it himself. To renege on his task is another delaying tactic.

The verbose Escudero is getting obtuse and evasive. What is cooking him? Is he scared of presiding over the case of the irascible VP Sara Duterte who had publicly sworn a bloodbath in such a trial?

Or he is just avoiding the antagonism of Duterte allies in the Senate to retain his post, as well as her formidable following to secure future political agenda?

The inaction of Escudero won praises from the VP, of course, whose sidekicks in the Senate are working insidiously to dismiss the impeachment case, claiming it is a waste of time and resources.

Duterte earlier claimed her camp has the number to overturn efforts to convict, remove her from office, and demolish her ambition for the highest post of the land. If they have a number enough to cause bloodshed, why the current change in tune?

Is this a realization that a trial will expose to the public the sordid details of how the VP stole the money, the millions of confidential funds of her Office, and that of the Department of Education she once headed, thus to be avoided?

In this regard, the delaying tactic of Escudero is tantamount to a cover-up.

(MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. William R. Adan, Ph.D., is retired professor and former chancellor of Mindanao State University at Naawan, Misamis Oriental.)