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Friday, March 29, 2024

Senate balks at suspending JV

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THE suspension order on Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, facing graft charges before the Sandiganbayan, may not be enforced as the Senate President says he has no power to suspend a senator.

While the Sandiganbayan had instructed Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel to implement Ejercito’s suspension order, the Senate leader told reporters he has no authority to do so.

“If you look at the Rules of the Senate, in the enumeration of the powers of the Senate President, it is not there to suspend a member of the Senate. It’s not there so I’m letting the Committee on Rules to interpret the Rules, find out where the power belongs, or if the exercise of the power can be justified,” explained Pimentel.

Pressed if Ejercito would not be suspended, Pimentel replied the Committee on Rules would make an interpretation.

Asked how it is different from the case of the three former senators—Juan Ponce Enrile, Ramon “Bong” Revilla and Jinggoy Estrada who stand trial for plunder and graft charges over the pork barrel scam, Pimentel said there is now a new Senate President.

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Pimentel said he has “a different interpretation, that is why, in my opinion, [the issue] is better passed [on] to the Committee on Rules so it can study in depth the situation.”

While it was mentioned in the interpellation that the suspension could not be applicable to Ejercito since the crime was committed when he was a mayor, Pimentel said the Supreme Court ruled otherwise.

Citing the SC ruling, Pimentel said the High Court noted that in the long line of cases, that still applies if the person to be suspended no longer holds the position when the alleged crime arose.

In the meantime, he said, his office would write a letter to inform the Sandiganbayan that its suspension order had been referred to the Committee on Rules.

Commitee on Rules chairperson Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III said they will still study the case of Ejercito.    

“I’m not saying there’s a big possibility that he will not be suspended; we are still studying. There’s a possibility that he may not be suspended or may be suspended.”

“I will come up with a committee report as soon as possible,” Sotto added.

In a resolution released on August 23, the Sandiganbayan ordered Ejercito’s suspension for 90 days in connection with the alleged anomalous purchase of high-powered firearms when he was still mayor in San Juan City in 2008 using the city’s calamity fund.

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