The impeachment proceedings against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez may become a "boring telenovela" once it reaches the Senate for trial, two lawmakers said Thursday.
Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teodoro Casiño, one of the endorsers of the impeachment case, said the Senate impeachment trial against Gutierrez will likely turn out to be the "most boring" proceedings the public is going to witness since the complaints against the Ombudsman are "airtight."
This may be the most boring impeachment proceeding we will ever witness. Lahat ng kaso rito alam na natin... It might be [a] telenovela, pero baka mababa ang ratings," Casiño said at a press briefing on Thursday.
Casiño pointed out that cases which the Ombudsman allegedly did not act on, such as the anomalous NBN-ZTE deal and the P728-million fertilizer fund scam, have already been discussed in the media during the past years.
Deputy Speaker Quezon Rep. Lorenzo Tañada III, meanwhile, said the impeachment trial against Gutierrez may not be as interesting as the proceedings against former President Joseph Estrada in 2001 since the prosecution will likely present documentary evidence.
I don’t think we need much testimonies, because the documents speak for themselves," Tañada said in the same forum. Tañada, however, added that the trial might become "more exciting" if the Ombudsman’s camp produces "manufactured" pieces of evidence to counter the impeachment case.
"Unless they suddenly manufacture documents, then it gets exciting," he said. The House justice committee on Tuesday approved the impeachment case against Gutierrez for plenary discussions and voting, after its members found probable cause to impeach the official for betrayal of public trust.
The articles of impeachment, which is currently being drafted by a team of House members and lawyers of the complainants, will likely be discussed at the House plenary by Tuesday or Wednesday next week, according to Tañada.
Under Section 3, Article XI of the 1987 Constitution, the impeachment complaint against the Ombudsman will have to get a one-third vote of all House members—in this case, 94 affirmative votes— before it can be transmitted to the Senate for trial.