MANILA, Philippines — Senator-Judge Alan Peter Cayetano said the pursuit of accountability in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial must not come at the expense of the law.
Addressing Presiding Officer Senator-Judge Francis Escudero, Cayetano reminded the court that the trial was “a political process as much as a legal process,” in which the public’s desire to know the truth about the Vice President’s finances must be balanced with the court’s duty to follow the rules.
“We want the public to know (the truth) as much as possible. (And) we want to hold the impeachable officers accountable. So there are competing values at play here,” Cayetano said, referring to the tension between the public’s right to know and the need to hold public officials accountable.
“But this is not the Wild Wild West. Just because we're curious or just because we want to hold someone accountable, that doesn't mean that we will not follow the rules,” he added.
Cayetano urged the court to determine where that line should be drawn, citing a provision in the Anti-Money Laundering Law that prohibits its use for political persecution.
“So where is the line? Where is the line between transparency, accountability, and when is there a strict interpretation of the law?” he asked.
Cayetano drew on his experience in previous impeachment cases involving former presidents Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, as well as former Chief Justice Renato Corona.
During the Corona impeachment trial, he recalled, the Senate did not examine dollar accounts after the Supreme Court ruled that they were strictly confidential.
“There was always a common denominator that we stopped and we did not bend the law, and we protected the Constitution and the law. Why? Because that is more important than holding one person accountable,” he said.
