Any sensible person who does not want to protect Erap should understand this provision, especially senators. Its duty is to find out the truth. No effort should be spared to arrive at this truth. Any technicality that would prevent or delay the discovery of the truth is an obstruction of justice. Any person who obstructs justice is punishable under our laws.
Rules of procedure are only a means to an end, which is to find out the truth.
But in this case, the rules are being used to hide the truth and obstruct justice. There is a legal principle that in case of contradictions in law, substance precedes technicality. But in this case, technicality is being used to supersede the substance of a provision of the Constitution no less. Those who watch the daily impeachment trial are now getting an idea of why the wheels of justice are so slow in the Philippines. Lawyers slow them down through numerous objections and lengthy debates on technicalities.