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Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III on Tuesday, June 17, pushed back against calls for some senator-judges to inhibit themselves from the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, stating that doing so would allow them to avoid taking a clear stand on the case. (Video courtesy of Senate of the Philippines)

READ: https://mb.com.ph/2025/06/17/inhibiting-excuses-senator-judges-from-taking-a-stand-favors-not-guilty-pimentel

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Transcript
00:00And then, dahil po doon sa nangyari, may mga panawagan for inhibition na mag-inhibit yung ilang allegedly bias na dito nga sa impeachment case laban kay BP Sara.
00:13Well, wag na magpa-inhibit kasing pinili. Ang impeachment nasa Article 11, hindi sa Article 6. Article 6 yung Legislative Department.
00:26Article 11. Ibig sabihin nun, yung sumulat ng ating konstitusyon, pwede sila actually namili ng ibang body to be the impeachment court.
00:35Ang pinili pa rin ay Senate. Therefore, let it be.
00:40So, yung mga judges, yung mga senador na magiging judges, ipaabot hanggang dulo sa decision nila so that they will now state the decision, guilty or not guilty.
00:51Tapos, taong bayan na ang huhusga sa decision ng bawat senador.
00:59Pag-inhibit, nakakalusot pa siya eh. Hindi na niya kailangan sabihin kung ano yung position niya. Guilty ba or not guilty?
01:07Na-excuse pa siya. Tapos, yung kanyang absence ay pabor pa sa not guilty.
01:12Sir, over the weekend, sinabi niyo na hindi pa kayo ready to answer yung legal question na kapag may mga mag-inhibit, anong number magiging basis for conviction?
01:22Ngayon ba, naaral niyo na at may sagot na kayo doon sa tanong na yun?
01:26Ang logical answer, kasi hindi ko alam kung tama ako.
01:29Pero sa wording lang ng Constitution, kailangan all the members of the Senate and two-thirds doon ay magsabi ng guilty bago masabi natin na convict ang impeach officer.
01:52So, kung mayroong senador na absent, may sakit, siraan siya, nasa abroad, nag-inhibit, nandun, ayaw magsalita, ayaw magpaliwanag,
02:10tinanong guilty or not guilty, tumahimik lang, ayaw magsalita, o lahat yung hindi counted na nagsasalitang guilty.
02:19Ang binibilang natin dito yung sinasabi yung salitang guilty, yun po ang bibilangin.
02:25Hindi binibilang yung nagsabing not guilty, hindi importante yun.
02:29Ang importante, ilan ang nagsabing guilty?
02:33So, yung hindi nagsalita counted as what, sir?
02:35Hindi siya nagsabi ng guilty. So, hindi siya counted sa guilty.
02:38Kailangan umabot yung guilty ng 16. Pag hindi umabot, there is no conviction.
02:43Ganoon lang po yun, hindi na lang natin sasabing not guilty, but not convicted.
02:49Pero pwede din mag-abstain?
02:52Abstain, tahimik, umalis, nag-walk out, nag-absent.
02:58Pero yung abstention, considered as acquittal yun, sir?
03:01Ang abstention, hindi nagsalita ng guilty.
03:04So, hindi mabibilang sa pagbilang natin ng guilty at kailangan 16 para masabi natin na-convict.
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