Sen. Panfilo Lacson says the preventive suspension of senators linked to the flood control scandal may not prevent them from serving as senator-judges in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial. Lacson argues that the preventive suspension would apply to senators in their capacity as legislators, but not to their separate role within the Senate Impeachment Court.
He notes that although the Senate Impeachment Court and the Senate have the same composition, they function as separate entities. Because of this, he says the issue requires legal interpretation on whether suspension as legislators carries over to their responsibilities in the impeachment process.
The position presented by Lacson centers on how the Senate should treat suspended senators who may still participate in impeachment proceedings. The reports focus on his view of the distinction between the Senate as a legislative body and the Senate Impeachment Court as a tribunal structure for trying the impeached official.
