Gatchalian urges sleepyheads to watch impeachment trial at home

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Prospective attendees who are sleep-deprived or too tired to attend the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte should watch the proceedings at home instead of sleeping inside the Senate session hall, Senate President and senator-judge Sherwin Gatchalian said Sunday.

“If they’re sleepy, they shouldn’t come. They can sleep at home and watch the proceedings on TV because it doesn’t look good to attend the impeachment court proceedings and then sleep there. They can just watch from home if they’re feeling sleepy,” Gatchalian told Super Radyo dzBB.

Gatchalian made the statement after Senate impeachment court Presiding Officer Francis Escudero called out Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante for appearing to fall asleep during the trial.

Abante was seated in the VIP section of the Senate session hall when he fell asleep while Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) Division Chief Rendell Sopeña was testifying.

The House prosecution team called on the public to give Abante some leeway, saying it is normal for people of advanced age to feel sleepy at certain times of the day and that this does not make him any less of a dedicated public servant.

Senator-judge Ping Lacson also posted a photo of a sleeping Abante, saying he wondered where Abante would sleep that day, Sept. 30, after the impeachment trial was cancelled.

In a separate statement, Lacson said the prosecution had one-upped Duterte’s defense team because Abante and private prosecutor Lorna Kapunan had been caught sleeping, compared with former Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo, who was on the defense side.— MCG, GMA News

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