The impeachment is supposed to be a short, clear road toward a certain political objective. Whatever the outcome, conviction or acquittal of the vice president, it has now become a fork in the road to uncertainty.
Others think the current route is fraught, especially with a naughty or mischievous aggressive neighbor ,not merely watching but even working to influence the outcome.
You can blame the lack of enthusiasm, not the absence of competence or loyalty, on the members of the Senate to submit to the intent of the Constitution , pronto. What has happened to its mandate on forthwith so far, thus far.
The ensuing public debate has clarified the meaning of the word into what is politically convenient than what is at the heart of the constitutional mandate.
For instance, the Senate is on a recess, and even the President can’t dare to rouse its members from the slack time without getting the flack, legal or otherwise.
Besides, some of the senators are in the middle of a campaign season, especially so for those who are inching their way into the magic number. Everyday counts and the impeachment will get in the way of a victory. Winning in an election is a right,after all, and wh o is the politician, even the President, to say otherwise even if it mean s being unfaithful to the Constitution , notwithstanding the oath taken.
Politics is about power which, according to the]American Henry Kissinger, is the ultimate aphrodisiac . No wonder those who pursue or chase it are in a maniacal drive to have it, regardless of the cost.
After the verbal pros and cons b etween Senate President Chiz Escudero and Senate minority leader Koko Pimentel, it is clear who is left with a clear and convincing reputation as a constitutionalist. One senator’s view is skewed.
Perhaps the choice is a no-brainier. One was a bar topnotcher, the other was, proverbially, among the top 12, which is joke. Guess who is the choice of many legal minds, including some of the framers of the 1987 Constitution.?
But a higher public concern is raised on the probable risk the country is taking by the untenable delay in the impeachment trial for the most politically controversial spare tire in Philippine history. She is no ordinary politician who claims to be unmatched . It’s a threat or it’s a joke.
There is an emerging fear, especially among members of the House that filed the impeachment case , that the vice president will have her last laugh all the way to the bank,. Literally, given the accusation that drug money poured into her or the former president’s, her fathers’ bank account.
On the other hand, you can’t blame the Senate President for being careful in unintentionally prolonging the agony of those who want a speedier convening of the Senate into a trial court. Fair is fair, even if means citing reasonable delays, which is considered acceptable vagueness in constitutional interpretation.
Besides, his tenure as the highest priest in the Senate demands that he factors in the welfare of his peers who can make life difficult for him. June 30 is taunting or inviting. The choice is binary;a wrong move can be costly.
Unfortunately, Pimentel believes in the rule of the majority. If his fellow senators agree to the meaning of forthwith as espoused by Senate President, so be it. Rigor not rogueness should be the hallmark of a seasoned politician and lawmaker.
The issue of public clamor belabored on the impeachment has been seriously taken by members of the cIt lergy and other private sector groups. Their effort, while encouraging, may not be able to sway 1 million or more in the signature campaign. It can, without doubt, add weight to the public’s moral support.
How this signature campaign will affect the ongoing debate on the impeachment trial will show in how the Senate President will move in the foreseeable future. As far as he has proposed, that future will be longer than what the Constitution conveys with forthwith as Pimental et al read it. After all, he is a politician who is vulnerable to public opinion. It is dicey.
Given China’s respectable rapport with the Duterte’s vis-a-vis the West Philippine Sea, as Senator Bato Dela Rosa keeps saying, “friendly”country favorably looks with favor on delay in the vice president’s impeachment case. Like the vice president and her camp, the unmistakable vision is 2028. A new president will definitely be something to look forward to in the WPS conflict and beyond given the hegemonic contest in the region.
An acquitted vice president will be unbeatable in 2028. The continued delay of the impeachment trial is already a compromise in this direction , what it is supposed to achieve in cleansing public service of undesirable so-called public servants, let alone criminals.
There is another thing. The drawn-out impeachment hullabaloo has become a distraction to another issue, the criminal complaint against the former president in the International Criminal; cCourt (ICC) for crime against humanity.
The success of the impeachment trial, meaning a conviction of the vice president, could mean a new bolster to the ICC attempt to probe and try the case against the former president. An, acquittal , on the other hand, will mean the Dutertes can live happily beyond 2028 or further.
The complications are vast and unimaginable for the Philippine politics beyond 2028. Not many people can probably say cheese or its equivalent. Good luck for the country.
