Press Release
January 10, 2012

Cayetano: "Not only the CJ is on 'trial', we all are"

Senate minority leader Alan Peter Cayetano stressed that the impending impeachment trial for Chief Justice Renato Corona can also be considered a trial for all three branches of government to see if they can multi-task and deliver promised reforms despite being preoccupied with the impeachment.

"I think the Judiciary, the Legislative and the Executive departments will be under scrutiny. Can we multi task and bring in the reforms and projects needed to be done by the government while we're doing your constitutional duty of check and balances through an impeachment trial?" he asked.

The senator pointed out that as the senate does its part, holding sessions in the morning and committee hearings on its supposed days off, the executive and the judiciary must also step up and work as hard.

"The Executive has to do its part by continuing to deliver the projects and being more prepared and proactive. This is also a challenge to the Supreme Court that even if the chief magistrate is on trial, the reforms that we're expecting from the Judiciary should push through and should go in an even faster pace," he said.

The minority leader called on all three branches of the government to use this opportunity to prove themselves to the Filipino people.

"It is very important that our countrymen feel that their government is fully-functional and that programs and projects are being pushed even if the Senate is busy with the impeachment," he said.

Cayetano also stressed the importance of impartiality of the Senate as an impeachment court because according to him, "if it can have an impartial hearing then it will show that the Constitution works and senators can go beyond politics".

"I think the Senate will be as much on trial as the Judiciary in proving its impartiality as an institution. It's not only a judicial process, it not being a criminal or administrative case but also a political process. We can be political but at the same time remain impartial," he said.

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