‘… in choosing the next Senate leader, it’s fitting to paraphrase Santiago who said “it all boils down to conscience, if it exists.”’
THE Recent furor ignited by “Eat Bulaga” stalwart and returning senator Tito Sotto concerning the Sara Duterte impeachment complaint may have dramatically reshaped the race for Senate president.
Sotto, an aspirant for the top Senate post, did not mince words when he blasted his former colleagues for their decision to remand the impeachment complaint to the House of Representatives.
His “outrage” stemmed from his view that “a senator-judge cannot file a motion that he himself would act on. Only the defense and prosecution counsels may do that.”
Sotto said it was the late senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago who had taught him about the duties and responsibilities of senators in impeachment proceedings.
“The Senate impeachment court’s decision is flawed!” he exclaimed before the media, drawing upon the wisdom of the late Santiago.
He also urged the incoming Senate to diligently review rules governing impeachment.
The invocation of Santiago’s judicial prowess in this debate is particularly pertinent in Sotto’s critique.
Santiago, in 2012, stated that an impeachment’s purpose is not punitive but to “maintain a constitutional government, through the removal of an unfit official from a position of public trust.”
She pointed out that “on the part of the Senate, the senators are not allowed to debate in open court many issues in the impeachment trial.”
Sotto’s statement has undeniably put him at odds with the 18 senators who voted to remand the complaint, antagonizing the Duterte bloc which now holds the key to the Senate presidency race. It also offended allies of Senate President Francis Escudero who are now looking for new “horse” to back.
The well-paid trolls of the Duterte camp were quick to proclaim that Sotto can now kiss goodbye his Senate presidency dream.
But the once comedian and former Senate president surely caught the attention of the First Couple. To some extent, he may have succeeded in painting himself as gatekeeper of the Senate’s legacy and defender of its institutional integrity. But it remains to be seen if this party trick of his will translate to a serious presidential approbation.
By directly challenging the Senate majority, Sotto, by default, has become the fulcrum around which the looming Senate presidency race will pivot.
His hostile statement will now serve as a barometer, compelling other aspirants to Senate president to define their own pathways.
With 78 percent of Filipinos supporting an impeachment trial for Duterte based on a recent survey, Sotto’s math and timing might be a stroke of comedic genius.
He still has an opportunity to mend fences and woo incoming senators, invoking the memory of the revered lady Miriam as his North Star.
The Senate, arguably, is in dire need of an enforcer and a disciplinarian – a leader willing to chastise peers who stray, even at the risk of losing support.
Escudero, in this light, is perceived by some as having been an enabler of what is deemed wrong with the current Senate. But for now, he appears to be the “winner” of this immediate round with 17 senators on his side.
The field for the Senate presidency is thrown wide open with more senators like Imee Marcos thinking to be a worthy alternative to Escudero.
Regardless of who becomes Senate president, he or she must be capable of steering the chamber back towards the glorious path once charted by the nation’s great statesmen.
But as to the stalled impeachment trial and in choosing the next Senate leader, it’s fitting to paraphrase Santiago who said “it all boils down to conscience, if it exists.”
