“I don’t think it’s proper to intervene with the Senate as an independent court of judgment in an impeachment trial to vote according to party lines,” Osmeña said in an interview.

Should the House of Representatives vote
to impeach Gutierrez, the Senate will convene as an impeachment court and try her.

Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang conceded that it would be tough for Malacañang to convince enough senators to convict Gutierrez, but said it expected President Benigno Aquino III’s allies to support her conviction.

“We hope that they would support Gutierrez’s impeachment,” Carandang said of Mr. Aquino’s party mates Franklin Drilon, Ralph Recto, Francis Pangilinan and Teofisto Guingona III, and allies Osmeña, Francis Escudero and Antonio Trillanes IV.

Osmeña, a supporter of Mr. Aquino, indicated that the suggestion flew in the face of the Senate’s future role as an impeachment court should the House vote to impeach Gutierrez.

“We are judges. We have to be independent. We have to be able to judge a case based on its merits and on the quantum of evidence that will be presented by the prosecutors,” Osmeña said.

“Otherwise, we can take a vote after five minutes. Let’s ignore the evidence. We will just open and read the charges, and ask everybody to vote. ‘Let’s divide the house,’” he added.

Guingona and Drilon did not view Carandang’s statement as a form of pressure on them to convict Gutierrez.

“Of course not,” Guingona said when asked if he felt pressured by Carandang’s statement, adding that there was no “marching order” from the President to convict Gutierrez.

Pangilinan said in a text message: “In the final analysis I believe the senators will vote as they deem fit regardless of political alliances.”

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said he respected Malacañang’s position, but served notice that the senators would vote according to their conscience.

“Each senator will have to appreciate the evidence, study the evidence, hear the evidence, analyze the evidence and make judgment,” he told reporters. “We’re judges. We are going to be judges.”

On Carandang’s observation that it would be difficult for Malacañang to convince enough senators to convict Gutierrez, Osmeña said: “As far as I am concerned, I’m going to listen to evidence. So I don’t know which way I will vote, and which way my colleagues will vote.”

“We’re like a jury here. Don’t ask us, ‘Are you going to convict her?’ The debate has been going on in TV and in the papers, and then you’re going to ask us, ‘Based on what you read, are you going to convict her?’” he added.

Drilon and Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III said the votes of 16 senators, or two-thirds of the 24-member chamber, were needed to convict an impeached official.

But since one seat has been vacated by then Senator Aquino, the impeached official would need eight votes for acquittal.

TJ Burgonio, Phil. Daily Inquirer