00:00If a constitutional law expert, Atty. Domingo Cayoza, is the one to ask, the Senate can start the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
00:10This is the first thing that Senate President Chis Escudero said, that there will be no impeachment trial because the Senate is on a break.
00:17If you remember, VP Sara was impeached by the Camera, where more than 200 judges voted in favor of the impeachment.
00:24In the program Mike Abilife, Atty. Domingo Cayoza said that the concept of impeachment is clear in a high-ranking official, and that it is the mechanism for punishment.
00:34I think that when the impeachment complaint comes, the trial shall forcefully proceed.
00:44It means that the complaint will be heard at an earlier time.
00:50Now, there are people who are saying that because the days of the legislative calendar of the Senate are ending, it's over.
01:03Atty. Cayoza compared the same thing that was decided by the Supreme Court.
01:09The Supreme Court has a decision on this matter, the Pimentel v. Joint Committees of Congress,
01:18where Senator Pimentel questioned the existence of the Congress' canvassing board because the Congress has already adjourned.
01:30The job of the Senate and the Camera is not only to make laws, but also to be judges whenever an official is impeached.
01:38Even if the session days of the legislative calendar of the Senate are over, the term of the Senate will continue.
01:49The authority and power and obligation of the Senate will not be lost because the term of the Senate is six years.
01:58So there is no plan that they can reconvene to sit as impeachment court in the ten days of their term.
02:08The law expert believes that this is an important move to give the opportunity for the prosecution to present evidence.
02:17This is a legal and clear authority and duty.
02:24We are talking about public accountability plus fairness.
02:28Meanwhile, on the question of how to designate an impeached official like VP Sara, what will happen?
02:35The impeachment case is over in one sense.
02:43The purpose is to remove.
02:45The trial will stop.
02:47But there is a perspective that it can be continued. Why?
02:51Because the penalty for the convicted official is the disqualification from public office.
03:00There's no president like that, but it's happening because of the Supreme Court.
03:07The issue is over. It's been a long time.
03:10But they will still finish the case of the convicted official so there will be guidance.
03:16Especially this, there's a possibility that if you are impeached, you can automatically be disqualified from public office.
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