By Herbert Vego
THOUGH President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has repeatedly been quoted to have said he was against the impeachment trial of his former ally Vice President Sara Duterte, that no longer resonates.
Just last Monday while attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, he predicted that the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte would surely cross into the 20th Congress.
“It is very clear that it will,” he told the press, “because there is no way that they will finish it before the new senators come in.”
Was it his way of saying he wants the senator judges to stop trying to abort the trial due to technical reasons?
The impression he creates is that he is not against the acquittal of the Vice President. The majority of the incumbent senators appear to be inclined to acquit her on charges ranging from graft and corruption to an assassination plot against President Ferdinand Marcos, et al.
This became evident on Tuesday evening when the Senate convened into an impeachment tribunal and voted 18-5 with no abstentions to return the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara to the House of Representatives on the pretext of having it “certified”.
Those numbers somehow indicate that the 18 would acquit Inday Sara regardless of evidence presented against her during the trial. She needs only a vote of 16 (two-thirds of the 24-member Senate) to win the judgment of acquittal. A guilty verdict would see her removed from office and permanently barred from politics.
In a press briefing, a number of congressmen stressed that their case had complied strictly with the constitution. More important than the numbers to them is the presentation of evidence against the accused, so that the people may judge for themselves.
For example, the “Law on Secrecy of Bank Deposits” (Republic Act No. 1405) may be suspended to permit the examination of the vice-president’s huge deposits.
While most of the 18 senators believe that the case could not legally cross from the 19th to 20th Congress, legal minds like retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio believe that the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte can continue into the 20th Congress, just like the courts of law a new judge takes over a retired judge.
He said that unlike ordinary legislative or non-legislative business, impeachment is a “constitutional duty” that should persist beyond the adjournment of Congress.
“No one can stop this anymore, because jurisdiction has been acquired already by the impeachment court,” said Congresswoman Gerville Luistro.
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MORE POWER USES SMART METER
MORE Power, Iloilo City’s distribution utility, is in the process of upgrading to smart meters to help customers save on electricity bills.
A smart meter is a digital device that monitors and records electricity usage in real-time and transmits this data to the utility provider, thus eliminating the need for manual meter readings.
Smart meters provide continuous data on electricity consumption, helping users track their energy usage and identify areas for improvement.
By providing detailed information on energy consumption, smart meters can help users make informed decisions to reduce their energy usage and save money.
Smart meters can assist utilities in identifying and resolving issues with the electrical grid, potentially leading to more reliable service.
Smart meters are equipped with digital sensors that continuously measure energy consumption. This data is then transmitted to the utility provider via a communication network, either through a wireless connection or the existing power grid. The utility provider can then analyze this data to provide billing information and identify trends in energy usage.
