(UPDATE) Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago did not disappoint.
On her first day back at the Senate impeachment proceedings, Santiago lashed back at Iloilo Representative and chief public prosecutor Neil Tupas for "coming unprepared."
Santiago earlier ordered the prosecution and defense teams to submit a list of their witnesses and documentary evidence to determine the length of the trial.
Defense's lead legal counsel Serafin Cuevas said they have a total of 15 witnesses and 23 marked documentary evidence. Tupas, on the other hand, failed to respond and said he has to consult first with the rest of the House panel.
This was when Santiago lost her cool and reprimanded Tupas.
“You have to come to court prepared. You do not waste the time of this court!” Santiago told Tupas.
Senate President Juan Pince Enrile, presiding officer of the impeachment court, also scored the prosecution for being unprepared with its evidence.
“I assume that the evidence were already marshaled and assembled for presentation for each article. It is the right of the respondent for a speedy trial,” Enrile said.
'Terminal boredom'
While she was away for the first week of the impeachment trial nursing hypertension, the feisty Senator could not help but monitor the proceedings, even if it actually "bored" her.
“It has been a display of legal ignorance that’s why the trial has been taking so long. It was unstructured,” she earlier said.
“I suffered from terminal boredom both from watching the impeachment trial on TV and from staying at home. My doctors did not even allow me to watch TV because my blood pressure shot up when I watched the impeachment,” Santiago added Tuesday.
Santiago told the impeachment court to hasten the proceedings by submitting a trial outline.
She then asked the prosecution and defense panels to present a list of all the witnesses and the substance of their testimonies, and other documentary evidence.
“I think the prosecution was nervous. There was also a little bit of fear. Fear of the unknown of what’s going to happen,” Santiago noted.
“Everybody has a tendency to go overboard because they think they have to do a dramatic stance in front of the TV. Without the TV, the proceedings could have been finished in a week,” she said.
Santiago also said that the impeachment should be made intelligible to the layman so the public would understand and won’t lose interest.
“The public is not as interested because they have no connection between the person accused and the electorate because they have never voted for the chief justice,” she added.
As for the performance of her co-senators, she pointed out that there’s a very thin line between performing their duty as judges and remaining neutral.
“Is is our right to ask questions if the prosecution has not done well and has not satisfied the judges. But the judge cannot take over the counsel and act as if he is already the counsel,” Santiago said.
Although she was bored from the first week of the trial, the senator-judge said she is ready to participate in the trial. “This is my duty. I have no choice."
Corona on Trial
- Corona skips Senate trialPhilStar - 7 hours ago
- Cuevas says CJ convinced him not to quit defense teamPhilStar - 10 hours ago
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Miriam to Tupas: Don't waste our time
By Shielo Mendoza | Yahoo! Southeast Asia Newsroom – Tue, Jan 24, 2012
View PhotoSenator Miriam Santiao is back! (NPPA Images)
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