By Jon Lindley Agustin

After the EDSA revolution comes the impeachment process.

Senator Antonio Trilllanes IV believes that the impeachment process against Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona will be “one of the defining moments in our nation’s history.”

“In the end, regardless how the impeachment trial ends, it will be one of the defining moments in our nation’s history as we would have shown the whole world that our democracy works,” said Trillanes in his speech during a consultation with the students held at the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP-NCPAG) last January 5.

Trillanes, known for pioneering the 2003 Oakwood Mutiny and the 2007 siege of the Manila Peninsula Hotel calling for ex-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s resignation, faced students from different colleges in UP Diliman because he said he wanted to test his opinions on the impeachment proceedings and he wanted the students to be his critics.

He stood in opposition against the insights shared and published by distinguished lawyers, political analysts, and opinion columnists who said that it is a judicial trial whose verdict is defined solely by evidence.

For Trillanes, the impeachment is a political process, citing the impeachment against former US president Bill Clinton who was acquitted despite evidences that he committed perjury and obstruction of justice. According to Trillanes’ speech, the impeachment ended in a vote where most members of the Senate sided with acquitting the president.

He said: “If an impeachment trial were meant to be solely evidence-based, then why didn’t our Constitutional framers just give that power to the Supreme Court whose members are supposed to be experienced judges?”

He also mentioned Alexander Hamilton, one of the first constitutional lawyers in the US, who made opinions on why the Supreme Court could not be relied upon in the impeachment proceedings like how the Senate ethics committee tries cases of their members.

Quoting Hamilton, Trillanes said, “ ‘It is still more to be doubted, whether they would possess the degree of credit and authority, which might, on certain occasions, be indispensable towards reconciling the people to a decision that may happen to clash with an accusation brought by their immediate representatives’ which may be ‘dangerous to the public tranquility.’ ”

To further strengthen his points, the senator also quoted Charles Geyh, author of the book When Courts and Congress Collide:The Struggle for Control of America’s Justice System which said that the impeachment process is a political procedure “in its originalist sense of the term, in so far as it is a remedy for political crimes against a body politic; in the sense of being a process that is subject to resolution by popular or political majorities, through their representatives in one of the political branches; and in the sense that it can be openly partisan.”

However, when Trillanes was asked about his vote on the impeachment, he remained objective by saying that he will still depend on the evidences.

“This does not mean that the evidence should be completely disregarded,” he said, “Definitely not!”

He said that he will primarily look on the articles of impeachment especially the betrayal of public trust particularly, the Chief Justice’s partiality. He said it is the “most hideous” of all the articles because if it will be proven that he is partial, Corona has just compromised the integrity of the Supreme Court.

On the railroading of the impeachment

                When asked about what his thoughts on the railroading the impeachment case because the Supreme Court was trying to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the Department of Justice-Commission on Elections investigation panel, he said it makes no different from other impeachment case also railroaded before.

He cited the impeachment case against ex-President Joseph Estrada which, according to him, was railroaded by then House Speaker Manny Villar when he transmitted the articles to the Senate.

“It is a matter of consistency,” he said.

Various interests involved

                Trillanes said he was motivated to research about the impeachment and have his researches critiqued by students and professors alike is that he sees there are interests involved in the process, being a political procedure.

“They would use all needs to deceive the public,” he said, “Articulate senators can woo you.”

Citing the camp of Vice President JejomarBinay as example, he said the group did not support the impeachment process because the group believes “[someone] will takeover the Supreme Court” and Binay will be vulnerable because of several of his plunder cases.

He also mentioned the interests of the stakeholders and big businessmen whom he said are “afraid that the Supreme Court with Corona will be hostile to their business interests.”

He asked the public to be vigilant of the happenings in the impeachment process and not to be easily swayed by the lawyers’ speeches and that of the senator-judges.

“We have to filter what is the true will of the people. In the end it’s going to be very clear to them,” he said, “I have faith in the collective wisdom of the Filipino people.”