A constitutional duty hangs in the balance while the Senate sorts out who leads it, and House Deputy Speaker Paolo Ortega V wants that question resolved fast so the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte can finally proceed.
Speaking in a radio interview Sunday, the La Union representative pointed out that the House has effectively finished its part of the process. “Kami po kasi sa Kongreso, halos tapos na po. Natapos na namin ‘yung mga obligasyon namin, ‘yung trabaho namin ‘yung sa impeachment,” he said.
His appeal comes as the upper chamber works through an internal dispute over its leadership. Ortega referenced the June 3 vote in which 12 senators backed Sherwin Gatchalian, and noted that Speaker Faustino Dy III has already acknowledged Gatchalian as the new Senate leader.
Ortega was candid that the infighting could push back the trial’s start. “Syempre po, ‘pag magulo ang bahay, hindi po matututukan ‘yung mga importanteng bagay na kailangan maumpisahan, gaya po sabi ko nga pinakaimportante po diyan constitutional na obligasyon yang impeachment,” he said.
He framed the delay as something with no acceptable justification, even as he acknowledged it appeared deliberate. “Pag binabasa mo ‘yung sitwasyon, parang may cause of smokescreen, parang may cause of delay,” he said. “Pero hindi po pwedeng maging rason o kahit anong cause ng pagkaantala na hindi po matuloy ang impeachment.”
The clamor from constituents, he said, has been hard to ignore. Ortega cited a local sentiment survey in which more than 86 percent of respondents asked when the trial would begin, a level of interest he tied to Duterte’s failure to address the allegations directly. “When the dust settles, ‘pag nawala na po lahat tong bangayan at nagkaintindihan na po sila o nagkausap o mayroon nang resolution, umpisahan na po natin tong impeachment na trial,” he said.
Ortega stressed that the position taken by Duterte’s camp on the leadership fight carries no weight over the trial’s timeline. “So kahit ano man ang opinyon ng Office of the Vice President o ng defense team nila, hindi po magiging hadlang iyon para ituloy ang calendar of impeachment,” he said, adding that Duterte herself recognized the impeachment court when she filed her Answer to the Articles of Impeachment.
