00:00At kahapon po, as you all know, nagpadala po kami ng sulat sa Committee on Justice as counsels by the
00:06Vice President.
00:07At doon sa sulat na yun, inilahat natin yung aming fundamental objections.
00:13Dito sa mga proceedings na sinasagawa ng Committee on Justice.
00:18Siguro, to give you more context, hindi po ako nagbigay, and you know that,
00:23hindi po ako nagbigay ng kopya ng sulat sa kahit anong media outfit out of due respect for the Committee
00:30on Justice.
00:31But since we noticed na I think some copies are already circulating online,
00:35we'd like also to give you proper context doon sa sulat na yun.
00:40And that's why Attorney Sheila will read the pertinent portions of that letter
00:46para po maintindihan, hindi lang ninyo, pati na na rin ang ating mga kababayan.
00:53Thank you, Mike.
00:55Good afternoon, everyone.
00:57We thank you for coming today, and I think this is on short notice.
01:03We appreciate everyone's work to keep the public well-informed on the developmental official complaints against the Vice President.
01:12I'm Sheila.
01:15That's right.
01:16I confirm that the defense team sent a letter addressed to Representative Luistro,
01:27the chairperson of the Committee on Justice.
01:29This was dated March 24, 2026.
01:33This letter was sent in response to the invitation extended to us by the committee.
01:43Just so there is context to the letter that we sent,
01:50even as we had observed from the hearing that was conducted earlier,
01:57that this letter was also tackled by the committee,
02:00we would just read the pertinent portion so that the public is also informed of the reason
02:08or the reason stated in this letter on why the respondent and the defense team
02:17did not participate in the hearing today.
02:22So, under these circumstances, and considering the public statements made by the chairperson,
02:31it appears that the committee intends to conduct a trial.
02:35However, if you respect, the Constitution vests the authority and power to conduct trial solely in the Senate.
02:48And this is clear and explicit in Section 3, Paragraph 6, Article 11 of the 1987 Constitution,
02:57which, as you know, states that it is the Senate that shall have the sole power to try and decide
03:07all cases of impeachment.
03:11The Constitution is thus clear.
03:15It is only the Senate that can conduct trial in all cases of impeachment.
03:20While Section 3, Paragraph 2, Article 11 allows the committee to conduct a hearing
03:28for purposes of submitting its report to the House of Representatives
03:33with its 16th session days from Rivera,
03:37the same does not give the committee any power or jurisdiction
03:42to conduct any form of trial,
03:46whether mini or full-blown.
03:50much less receive and try any evidence.
03:55That impeachment rules must be compliant with the Constitution
03:59is made clear in Francisco v. House of Representatives,
04:05wherein the Supreme Court declared
04:07Sections 16 and 17 of Rule 5
04:10of the Rules of Impeachment Proceedings
04:13adopted by the 10th of Congress unconstitutional.
04:17And in doing so, the Supreme Court
04:20is very aptly reminded.
04:22It is basic that all rules must not contribute the Constitution,
04:31which is the fundamental law.
04:58of the R dribbling to want to be supported sia-usal.
05:07of thempy clock 24 percent
05:07of the controls which have its own class,
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