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Senators preparing for impeachment trial even during Holy Week


At least four senators who will sit as judges during the impeachment trial of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez next month are preparing for the proceedings even during the Holy Week. Senators Francis Escudero, Antonio Trillanes IV, Ralph Recto, and Gregorio Honasan told GMA News Online they are studying for the impeachment trial even while they are away with their families during the session break. "(I'm) just spending it (the Holy Week) in the province, Sorsogon, with my extended family. (But I'll also be preparing for the impeachment trial) on the side," Escudero told GMA News Online in a text message. "My family and I will go to Cebu to visit my relatives there. (Regarding) my preparations for the impeachment, I have been undergoing briefings on impeachment procedures conducted by a law firm," Trillanes likewise told GMA News Online in a separate text message. Recto will also spending the Holy Week with his family in Batangas. But one of his staff members said that lawmaker brought his impeachment folder with him so that he can study it during his free time. Senator Gregorio Honasan, on the other hand, said he will be spending the Holy Week with his family at home. "I'll be with my family, bonding, reflecting," he told GMA News Online in a separate phone interview. However, he noted that he will also be reflecting on the Senate's need for guidance during the upcoming impeachment trial so that they can "do justice not only to Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez but to every man." "Our prayers should be for political unity, social cohesion, and economic prisperity," he said. Section 3, Article XI of the 1987 Constitution says that the House of Representatives shall have the exclusive power to initiate all cases of impeachment while the Senate shall have the sole power to try and decide all the cases of impeachment. It also states that "no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of all the members of the Senate." The Senate will convene as an impeachment court when Congress resumes session on May 9. - VVP, GMA News

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