Senate President Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian has clarified that Senator Jinggoy Estrada’s 90-day suspension covers all his duties as a legislator, including his role as a senator-judge in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
According to Gatchalian, while a senator is suspended, all powers and responsibilities in the Senate are temporarily removed. This means Estrada cannot participate in any impeachment process as a Senate judge while his suspension is in effect.
The Senate President also reminded that such situations are not new, as there have been previous cases of senator suspensions in the past year. On June 16, the Sandiganbayan issued a preventive suspension against Estrada in connection with a graft case. The senator also faces other plunder and graft cases related to alleged flood control projects.
Under the law, specifically the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, an official must be temporarily removed from office while facing graft charges. Meanwhile, Gatchalian emphasized that the Senate will continue to follow the Constitution regarding the impeachment process. A two-thirds vote of all senators is still required to convict an official.
