(Eagle News) — There is no longer any need for the impeachment trial of Commission on Elections Chair Andres Bautista if he steps down from his post.
“Kung meron talagang resignation letter and deemed separated from government service na siya, e wala na. Dapat stop na yung impeachment..Kung umalis na siya sa posisyon, wala nang dahilan na magtuloy tuloy pa,” Senate President Koko Pimentel said in a radio interview on Thursday.
So far, he said the Senate has yet to receive a certified true copy of Bautista’s letter containing Bautista’s plans to step down as Comelec chair by the end of this year.
The letter, Bautista had said, was submitted to President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday morning.
“Be man enough”
Meanwhile, lawyer Lorna Kapunan, said in a television interview Bautista “should be man enough” to face the charges against him.
Kapunan is the lawyer of Bautista’s estranged wife Patricia, who went public with allegations of ill-gotten wealth against the Comelec chief.
These allegations, among others, were used as bases for the impeachment complaint filed against Bautista by former Rep. Jacinto Paras and lawyer Ferdinand Topacio.
The complaint was dismissed as insufficient in form by the House of Representatives’ justice committee, but the House plenary overturned the panel’s decision with a vote of 137.
Only at least 97 votes, or at least one third of the House, were needed for the justice committee’s decision to be reversed.
With the Lower House’s impeachment, the House justice committee shall now prepare the Articles of Impeachment.
These will be transmitted to the Senate, which is expected to convene as an impeachment court for the trial.
