MANILA – Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, presiding officer in impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona, affirmed Thursday that the impeachment process is not a criminal proceeding, and that the quantum of evidence is not proof beyond reasonable doubt.
After lead defense counsel Serafin Cuevas moved to strike out the testimony of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, a witness for the prosecution, Enrile, citing the books of Charles Black and Raoul Berger, also stated that the rule on hearsay does not apply strictly in impeachment cases.
De Lima was testifying for Article 7 of the impeachment complaint, Corona's alleged partiality in granting a temporary restraining order (TRO) in favor of former President Arroyo and her husband, Jose Miguel.
Cuevas was arguing that De Lima's testimony should be considered as "hearsay" since she was not present in the deliberations of the Supreme Court (SC) en banc.
While ruling on Cuevas' move, Enrile also said that the impeachment proceeding is not a criminal proceeding and that the impeachment tribunal "will decide based on the quantum of proof and not proof beyond reasonable doubt"; both of which have been repeatedly pointed out by the prosecution team.
"Today's ruling is absolutely welcome and truly enlightening for all of us," Deputy Majority Leader Romero Frederico "Miro" Quimbo, spokesperson for the prosecution panel, said.
Quimbo added that it was a "major victory" for the prosecution panel after the impeachment court took a specific stand on proceedings, evidence, and hearsay.
"If we have been failing in the past several days, this is now are recovery. The Senate President has seen that the people through the House of Representatives have the right to due process," Ilocos Norte Representative Rodolfo Farinas, one of the public prosecutors, added. (Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)