New senators keeping ‘wait and see’ stance on Sara trial
Incoming senators, many of them allies of the Duterte camp, are keeping their cards on the looming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte close to their chests.
“Secret,” Rodante Marcoleta, one of the Vice President’s allies, replied when asked on what he plans to do.
“Let’s debate first if it should push through or not. I saw how they laid down [the case], the basis was wrong, the process was wrong. I was with them, so from there, I know what to do,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the proclamation of the 12 winning senators on Saturday at the Manila Hotel.
Duterte’s impeachment trial, which is set to begin soon after the 20th Congress commences in July, will be keenly watched, and with it the positions that the senators will take.
“I’m really prepared, believe me,” Marcoleta said.
Reelectionist Bong Go, who led the Senate race in the final tally, declined to comment about the impeachment. He said he wanted to wait for the evidence and for the procedure to commence.
‘Credible evidence’
“If there’s no evidence then why we are lingering around—such a waste of time, we should be prioritizing serving our countrymen. Several days will be wasted there,” Go said.
Panfilo “Ping” Lacson advised the prosecution team to present “credible evidence” to convince at least 16 senators to convict.
“How can you convict if there’s no evidence or if it’s very weak? How can you acquit if the evidence is strong? So it should be evidence-based,” he said.
Plans, promises
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) proclaimed the 12 newly elected senators who bared plans on what they intend to do ahead of their six-year terms.
Eleven of the winning candidates were present while Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, who is in the United States to attend his daughter’s college graduation, skipped the ceremony led by Comelec Chair George Garcia.
Go delivered the longest spiel at around 7.5 minutes. Laughter erupted in the audience when the master of ceremonies prematurely thanked him for his message. “Hindi pa ako tapos,” Go quipped.
He dedicated his victory to former President Rodrigo Duterte who he said mentored and told him to “just do what is right.”
Promise to the youth
Go said he would push for more propoor programs and laws. He added that he will work, with the help of fellow legislators, for more investments in education, sports, job creation, livelihood support, food security, and the fight against criminality, illegal drugs and corruption.
“I’m not a politician who makes promises,” he said. “I will do my job for the Filipino. I believe that service to the people is service to God.”
Bam Aquino, who ranked No. 2, thanked his supporters, especially the young volunteers who campaigned for him.
“We were not in the Top 12 or even Top 20 the first time we declared our intention to run,” said Aquino, who delivered his speech in Filipino.
“But because of the diligence and patience, not mine but of the numerous volunteers, the many youths who supported and went out, spoke up, posted [on social media], and went house to house—we were able to reach here,” he said.
Aquino added that the Filipinos he met on the campaign trail all wanted solutions to their daily woes.
Senate comebacks
He said he would use his mandate for reforms in education, job generation and upliftment of the Filipino family.
Aquino and Pangilinan, together with Lacson and Vicente “Tito” Sotto III are staging their Senate comebacks.
Pangilinan and Sotto were rivals in the vice presidential race in the 2022 elections. Lacson, meanwhile, ran for president with Sotto as his running mate.
Pangilinan, whose speech was read by his eldest sister Maricel Pangilinan-Arenas, dedicated his victory to farmers, fisherfolk, workers, solo parents and overseas Filipino workers. He also said he would prioritize ending hunger in the country.
Sotto, whose election makes him the first and only senator elected five times, said he “will exercise oversight on existing laws to ensure that they are properly implemented” in his new term.
“I will make sure that the budget of the government is used correctly. And most all, I will make certain to restore the good image, integrity and independence of the institution,” he said.
Sotto earlier said he was keen on challenging Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero for the Senate top post. He was Senate president from 2018 to 2022.
However, he said, he would leave it to his colleagues to gather support for his bid. “If they have the numbers and they want me to be Senate president, then I will accept (their decision),” he said.
Reelectionists
Of the 12 senators, five are reelectionists: Go, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Pia Cayetano, Lito Lapid and Imee Marcos.
Marcos was accompanied by her mother, former first lady Imelda Marcos. She thanked former President Duterte and the Vice President who included her in the PDP-Laban slate as a guest candidate. She did not mention her brother, President Marcos.
Dela Rosa, who confirmed plans to visit former President Duterte in The Hague, dedicated his victory to his ex-boss. He added that the votes for him were likely in “protest” to Duterte’s incarceration at the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands.
Cayetano, who was accompanied by her brother Alan Peter, an incumbent senator, recalled her first election in 2004 as the youngest female senator. She said she had plenty of mentors, such as the late “great” Senators Miriam Defensor Santiago, Edgardo Angara, Juan Flavier, Joker Arroyo and Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr.
The fourth-termer Cayetano said it’s time to give back by mentoring the young and volunteered to mentor Camille Villar, one of the three newbies in the upper chamber.
Villar, who hovered within or outside the bottom half of early surveys, turned emotional as she recounted being “overwhelmed” because “this journey hasn’t been easy.”
Newbies
She was heavily criticized for the issues involving her family’s PrimeWater Infrastructure during the campaign period.
In her speech, she thanked her father, former Senate President Manny Villar, for helping her achieve her childhood dream to be a public servant like him.
“I promise that I will work twice as hard, that I will stand twice as firm, and that I will serve with all my heart and exhibit leadership because leadership is about showing up, standing up when it’s easier to play it safe, and speaking out when it’s more convenient to stay silent,” she said.
Marcoleta, who represented different party list groups during his two terms at the House of Representatives, said his new mandate as senator was a “heavy but important responsibility.” He promised not to abuse power but instead provide honest service to the public.
Erwin Tulfo, who was also a party list congressman, said he will promote “national unity,” which he described as “a powerful force that can carry us forward.”
“I ask my fellow senators: let us set aside our political differences for the sake of the nation and our people, and let us work together to resolve the problems before us. We are not enemies,” Tulfo said.
