Disruptive impeachment trial
With the way things are going at present in the House of Representatives, the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, through any of the two modes cited by the Supreme Court in its recent ruling on that issue, is just a matter of time.
Unless the court does any interventionist acts (ugh!), the impeachment is expected to be immediately endorsed to the Senate for appropriate trial and resolution.
If the trial materializes, it would be the third time in our history that a full-blown trial would be conducted by the Senate.
The first involved then President Joseph Estrada, whose trial took 23 days, i.e., from Dec. 7, 2000, to Jan. 16, 2001. The trial was aborted when the prosecutors walked out of the proceedings. He later resigned in the wake of mass demonstrations that called for his resignation.
The second involved then Chief Justice Renato Corona, which lasted from Dec. 12, 2011, to May 29, 2012. The Senate convicted him of the charges filed against him.
The proceedings of the two trials were covered live on radio and television from beginning to end. They drew unprecedented nationwide attention and high viewership ratings.
Some prescheduled TV programs were forced to get off the air to make way for the continuing coverage of the trials. On several occasions, the Estrada trial went past 9 o’clock in the evening, which screwed up deadlines on newspaper publication and delivery to their readers.
The proceedings had some comic moments that made them entertaining and at the same time educational, in particular when the lawyers argued their positions on, among others, the credibility of witnesses and the value of some pieces of evidence.
In light of the controversies that dogged the Vice President when she was Education secretary, it is a cinch that her Senate trial would attract the same, if not wider, attention and viewership that attended the two impeachment trials earlier mentioned.
Add to that the speculations that her impeachment is aimed at derailing her plan to run for president in 2028 and as she appears to be a front-runner based on some surveys.
The highly political character of the trial would make it a blockbuster that would make many Filipinos want to watch it with keen interest, depending on their political orientation or attitude towards the Duterte family.
For those with an open mind, the proceedings would give them a window to the character of the Vice President, which would influence their action come the 2028 elections.
The proceedings can be watched on TV sets that are usually installed in offices or work premises that have walk-in clients or customers. Since the trial is expected to be livestreamed, they can be viewed on desktop computers, laptops and cellphones while at work or doing assigned tasks.
To avoid disturbing other employees, earphones or Bluetooth gizmos can be used to listen to the contending lawyers’ discussions and any comments that may be given by TV anchors or reporters.
The disruptive effect of the Vice President’s impeachment trial on our daily life and business operations would be unavoidable. The scheduling of some meetings by the staff or with clients or customers may be made to work around the time of the trial.
The talk in the business corridors or boardrooms would most likely include what was disclosed or came out during the trial. In other words, it’s not going to be business as usual in many quarters while the trial is ongoing.
But the more worrisome disruption is the expected further political polarization between the supporters of the present administration and those of the Dutertes, which has been exacerbated by the ongoing flood control projects scandal.
Like what happened after the Estrada trial, whichever way the trial goes, we’re in for a very volatile political environment in the coming days.
For comments, please send your email to raul.palabrica@inquirer.net.
