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Cecille Suerte Felipe - The Philippine Star
February 24, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Instead of pressuring and calling for the immediate convening of the impeachment court, Senate President Francis Escudero urged the House of Representatives to thoroughly study and prepare the evidence against Vice President Sara Duterte, emphasizing that he would not entertain any delays once the trial begins.
Escudero said the House members, who would act as prosecutors in the impeachment trial against Duterte, must prepare for a systematic presentation of evidence during the proceedings.
“I advise them to study and prepare the evidence so that when the trial begins, there won’t be any delays. Given the time they’ve had, there’s no reason for them not to be ready, and I do not expect them to ask for an extension. It would be embarrassing if they can’t accomplish that within the set timeframe,” Escudero said over radio dzBB.
The House of Representatives transmitted the impeachment complaint against the Vice President to the Senate on Feb. 5, two hours before Congress went on recess for the midterm elections.
Escudero said the Senate would prepare and could tackle the matter only when Congress resumes session on June 2.
Some congressmen and some sectors are calling the Senate to immediately commence the impeachment trial, which could be done once President Marcos calls a special session to allow the Senate to convene as an impeachment court.
But Escudero told The STAR’s online show “Truth on the Line” that even when the Senate resumes sessions on June 2, the senators could not hold a trial right away as they will still have a lot to prepare and they would not be able to discuss anything until the 19th Congress closes on June 30.
First, he said they need to adopt permanent impeachment rules, which are currently being drafted and will be debated in session.
He said they also have to give Duterte time to answer the Articles of Impeachment, which can be set for 10 days and an extension can be requested.
Escudero also lashed out at the House of Representatives for pressuring the Senate to start the impeachment trial, saying that Congress is not in the right position to do so, as it had sat on the complaints for three months.
“The Constitution states ‘forthwith,’ and their own rules state ‘immediately’ – the secretary-general shall immediately refer any impeachment complaint filed to the Speaker. They delayed three impeachment complaints for more than two months. If they took two months to act, they shouldn’t hold the Senate to a different standard,” Escudero told Truth on the Line.
“Before telling us to hurry, they should answer simple questions – they didn’t rush themselves. Now that the complaint is filed, they’re rushing excessively. They have no moral basis to take such a position,” he said.
“If we look at past impeachment complaints, we followed the recess schedule. Our recess, which ends on June 2, was agreed upon back in July last year. We are simply adhering to the scheduled recess because we have elections,” Escudero said.
“Now, I don’t want to treat Vice President Duterte’s impeachment complaint as special just because she’s the vice president, the first vice president to be impeached, or because she’s a Duterte. Her case should be treated the same way the Senate has handled previous and other impeachment complaints. It shouldn’t receive special treatment. As they say, the woman symbolizing justice is blindfolded, meaning she sees nothing and treats everyone equally.”
He maintained the Senate cannot hold a special session on their own while Congress is on recess, noting that they have to observe a process.
He also added that a caucus among senators is not a special session that can create an impeachment court.
‘Special session’
Former Senate president Franklin Drilon has dismissed calls for Escudero to unilaterally convene a special session to consider the Articles of Impeachment, emphasizing that only President Marcos holds that authority.
“I cannot really understand the insistence that the Senate President can call the Senate to a special session to consider the Articles of Impeachment. Only the President can do that,” Drilon said in a statement.
He also clarified that the convening of the Senate as an impeachment court is not automatic, contrary to certain claims.
“The impeachment process has not yet started; it has only been filed, and the impeachment court has not been convened. I’m not saying it’s wrong or right, but I don’t want to make a mistake by doing that,” he added.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian expressed support for Escudero’s position on the impeachment, stressing that “this impeachment cannot be discussed without a session.”
“The recent impeachment cases, like those of former president Joseph Estrada, chief justice (Renato) Corona and ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, all went through the plenary. This means it was read in the plenary to formally inform everyone,” he said.
“It was formally communicated to our colleagues that there is such an impeachment that has come to our Senate. However, since this was sent on the last day and at the last hour, it could not be read during the session in plenary. Therefore, without a plenary session and without it being read, the impeachment cannot be discussed,” Gatchalian added.
