Joselito Malig

Article (news)

RG Cruz

ABS-CBN News

MANILA — Only five of the 24 senators judging the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte are lawyers: Alan Peter and Pia Cayetano, Francis Escudero, Rodante Marcoleta and Francis Pangilinan.Two of them, Loren Legarda and Vicente Sotto III, already judged both the trials of then President Joseph Estrada in 2000 and Chief Justice Renato Corona in 2012.Seven more judged in the Corona trial: Alan Peter and Pia Cayetano, Jinggoy Estrada, Francis Escudero, Panfilo Lacson, Lito Lapid, and Francis Pangilinan.While Sotto and Legarda had different votes on the matter of opening the second envelope that ultimately decided the fate of the Estrada trial, all 10 who had past trial experience voted to convict Corona.Some acknowledged how their background came to shape their decisions in 2012.&quot;Modesty aside, I have the uncommon ability to determine if a person is telling the truth or not. An error in judgment has no place in this trial because it is final and irreversible,” Lacson said in 2012.&quot;Didesisyunan po ang Kataas-taasang Hukom ng isang high school graduate lamang na taga- probinsiya ng Pampanga,” Lapid said in 2012.&quot;Hindi po ako nagmamarunung-marunong dito. Ang ginagamit ko lang po dito ay konsensiya, representante ng masa na hindi nakapag- aral, hindi marunong mag-English, ni walang alam sa batas,” he added.&quot;Ang tunay na hukom sa paglilitis na ito ay ang taumbayan. Nadinig nila ang dalawang panig. Tulad mmin, hindi lahat sila abogado. Ngunit ang kapangyarihan ng demokrasya ay nasa kanilang mga kamay,” Sotto said.But experts say the lack of a legal background should not be a problem.Constitutionalist and retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Adolfo Azcuna said, &quot;Yes, in the case of, legal matters, for the non-lawyers, there is, normally, someone among them among the senators who is also a lawyer who will help them by explaining the legal aspects of the issue. There&#x27;s also the clerk of court of the tribunal, who is the clerk of the Senate, who is a lawyer, and he normally, he also helps the senators by explaining the issues, the legal aspects of the issues involved.&quot;&quot;It&#x27;s the knowledge of how to discern whether a particular witness is telling the truth. You can observe in the way the, the, the demeanor of the witness is being presented, you know, whether or not, there is some basis for the allegations in the impeachment complaint,” former Senate President Franklin Drilon said.Experts said that ultimately, the senators&#x27; decision is a conscience vote.&quot;It is, presumed that, all of them have conscience and will vote according to their conscience, and that is the best we can expect from them, an impartial verdict based on their honest belief on whether or not the respondent has been proven guilty by the evidence of the prosecution,” Azcuna said.&quot;Hindi mo talaga mapilit kung paano ang boto na or hindi mo talaga masabi kung talagang, yung boto ng isang senador ay sang-ayon doon sa ebidensya. They are not lawyers in the first place and that is how it is designed. Nasa konsensya po nila &#x27;yan.They will answer to the, political exercise in the future, and they will be judged according to how they will react in this, uh, impeachment trial,” Drilon said. “The late Senator Tessie Oreta was severely criticized for the way she celebrated the non-opening of the envelope and she suffered devastating political reversal in the election that came afterwards.&quot;In 2012,  senators precisely spoke of this in casting their votes.&quot;The impeachment court does not simply pass judgment on this specific case or on this specific CJ. The court’s action, being far-reaching and precedent-setting, is actually rebuilding a new paradigm of transparency and accountability in public office,” Alan Peter Cayetano said in 2012.&quot;Those of us who sit as judges, those of us who act as prosecutors and all those in public service should not hide behind our titles. We must come clean and give meaning to the constitutional requirement that we declare all our assets,” Pia Cayetano said in 2012.&quot;Panahon na po ito marahil na taasan natin ang antas ng pamantayan ng mga naninilbihan sa pamahalaan at dapat po pantay ang pamantayang ito, Hindi lamang kay Chief Justice Corona, kundi para sa ating lahat,” Escudero said in 2012.&quot;Binigyang-buhay natin ang diwa ng mga proseso ng ating batas at binigyan natin ng patas na pagdinig ang panig ng taga-usig at ng nasasakdal,” Estrada said in 2012.&quot;If we acquit the Chief Justice, we would tragically lift the floodgate for public suspicion and widespread distrust on the highest institution of our judicial system. We also lower the bar of public accountability of government officials. It was not easy. It is painful, but we must do it,” Legarda said in 2012.&quot;The vote to convict is a vote to defeat abuses and excesses in government. Ang boto ng conviction ay boto upang wakasan, wakasan na ang pang-aabuso at pagmamalabis ng mga opisyal ng ating bansa,” Pangilinan said in 2012.Regardless of their training or back ground or even past experience, all the judges, by the very nature of their office, are politicians, judging another politician.This is the first trial where the respondent is a presidential aspirant who leads pre election surveys for the next election which is less than 2 years away — making her her endorsement and support valuable to aspiring candidates, unless you&#x27;re potential rival to the presidency,  where the trial becomes an opportunity to knock her out, so they don&#x27;t have to face her in the election.Of the 24 senators, 12 have terms ending 2028. Of the 12, eight may seek reelection: Alan Peter Cayetano, Francis Escudero, Jinggoy Estrada, JV Ejercito, Loren Legarda, Robin Padilla, Raffy Tulfo, and Mark Villar.Four are term limited from the Senate but like the other eight, are eligible for other positions including the presidency: Risa Hontiveros, Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, Miguel Zubiri and Joel Villanueva.This means any conviction vote can benefit those who do not want to lose to Duterte in the 2028 elections because aside from ouster from the vice presidency, conviction also means perpetual disqualification from public office.&quot;There was no such circumstance or or context in the previous two impeachment trials. Here, given the, the proximity of the 2028 election and the fact that Sara Duterte has declared her intention  to run for president and of course, the administration, is preparing also for a-election contest. It is inevitable that the events in the impeachment trial will be viewed in the context of the political exercise in 2028,&quot; Drilon said.&quot;It is also a political exercise. So we have to grant that, that in forming their judgment, each senator will be basing the judgment that they will reach based not only on purely legal considerations, but also on political implications,” Azcuna said.Political scientist Julio Teehankee said, &quot;So considering na, ah, meron din karamihan sa senador ay up for re-election, ito rin ay magiging parte ng kanilang political calculus pagdating sa paglabas ng kanilang desisyon sa whether maging guilty or not guilty ang bise presidente.”&quot;Going into the impeachment trial itself, maraming baon na political capital ang Vice Presidente. Ang papel ngayon ng House prosecution team ay bawasan, bakbakan itong political capital na ito,” he said.Teehankee also added that beyond the election, there&#x27;s also the matter of the administration&#x27;s own political capital and the individual senators&#x27; own political capital.&quot;Then yung isang factor naman, yung tinatawag ko yung, scenario ng strong president &#x27;no?At nakita naman natin ito nung panahon ni,, Noynoy Aquino doon sa, impeachment ni Chief Justice Renato Corona na talagang ginamit ng Aquino, administration ang kanyang political leverage at political capital na talagang, nagkaroon ng conviction din ang, dating Chief Justice,” Teehankee said. &quot;And then there are senators like Estrada, Villanueva, Escudero, Marcoleta who are facing investigation and prosecution for other cases.&quot;<div> </div><div> </div><div> </div>

Experts say the lack of a legal background should not be a problem for senator judges.

Experts say the lack of a legal background should not be a problem for senator judges.

How senator judges will approach Sara Duterte's impeachment trial

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Sudoku

Word of the Day

Lotto

Horoscope

Nation

How senator judges will approach Sara Duterte's impeachment trial

RG Cruz,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 03, 2026 04:16 PM PHT

Read More:

Senate

impeachment

senator judges

ABS-CBN Newsletter

Your go-to source for the latest news, entertainment highlights, exclusive interviews, and updates on your favorite Kapamilya stars.

ABS-CBN Newsletter

Your go-to source for the latest news, entertainment highlights, exclusive interviews, and updates on your favorite Kapamilya stars.

Sign Up

I have read and agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy.

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.