The sub judice rule governing the upcoming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte must be applied strictly and without exceptions, House impeachment team adviser and spokesperson Rep. Robert Ace Barbers emphasized.
Barbers issued the statement in response to Senate impeachment court Presiding Officer Senator Francis Escudero’s reminder for senator-judges, prosecutors and legal counsel to maintain strict impartiality and judicial decorum under the court’s Rule 18.
Barbers stressed that any restrictions on public commentary regarding the ongoing proceedings must bind all involved actors equally, including the senator-judges themselves.
“If this Rule 18—the sub judice rule of this impeachment court—is really going to be enforced, this must apply to everybody,” Barbers said in Filipino. “Not just to public and private prosecutors, not just to defense counsel, and not just to our respondent, but including the senator-judges.”
When asked about recent public statements made by Senator Robin Padilla, Barbers refrained from singling out the lawmaker directly, choosing instead to focus on the principle of equal enforcement.
“If they are lenient toward others, wait a minute, why is it like that? It shouldn’t be,” Barbers noted. “This should be applied equally to all parties in this trial. So if there are senator-judges who go overboard, there should be equal attention. There are standards and rules after all.”
Barbers pointed out that the impeachment court’s guidelines outline clear remedies for potential infractions, including referral to the Senate Committee on Ethics for senator-judges who exceed permitted bounds.
While advocating for consistent compliance, Barbers also reiterated his personal appeal to the impeachment court to allow reasonable flexibility so the public stays informed about the high-profile proceedings.
“As they say, impeachment is sui generis (a class of its own). Perhaps we could loosen it up slightly because the primary objective should be informing the public about what is truly happening,” Barbers said, maintaining that clear public understanding remains vital despite the strict decorum required during the trial.