Chiz organizes administrative support for impeachment court in VP Sara's trial

Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero has organized administrative support for the Senate sitting as an impeachment court in the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Special Order No. 2025-015 designated the Secretary of the Senate as the impeachment court's Clerk of Court.

The offices of the Senate Legal Counsel, Senate Deputy Secretary for Legislation, and Sergeant-at-Arms were designated and authorized to provide legal, technical, administrative, and general staff support to the Clerk of Court. 

The Senate Legal Counsel and the Deputy Secretary for Legislation have been designated Deputy Clerks of the impeachment court.

The Sergeant-at-Arms has been made responsible for the service of summons, subpoenas, and other legal processes as directed by the Presiding Officer or the Clerk of Court.

The order is effective immediately and shall be in force until the end of the impeachment trial.

Senate Secretary Renato Bantug has confirmed the copy of the order obtained by GMA News Online.

The Clerk of Court shall assist the Presiding Officer in the administration of the Impeachment Court and is tasked with managing the non-judicial functions of the Impeachment Court, including the recording and reporting of the proceedings, maintaining and preserving court records, preparing and serving notices and summons, and preparing the court calendar.

The clerk is also responsible for the business of the trials, administering oaths, ensuring reception, filing, distribution, and processing of all pleadings and submissions, and ensuring orderly proceedings by supervising necessary security and safety measures.

The Senate Legal Counsel is tasked to draft and prepare legal documents such as subpoenas, writs, summons, orders, resolutions, and decisions and prepare legal memoranda and briefs, and summaries of proceedings and pleadings, among others.

The Deputy Secretary for Legislation is responsible for drafting impeachment court resolutions and preparing the business of the trial and scenario for each day, among other things.

The tasks of the Sergeant-at-Arms include implementing and maintaining security arrangements for the Presiding Officer, Senator-Jusdges, prosecution and defense panels, witnesses, and guests, and maintaining order in the chamber and its premises during the proceedings.

House impeaches VP Sara

The House of Representatives on Feb. 5 impeached  Sara Duterte with 215 congressmen endorsing the verified complaint against her.

Bantug received the articles of impeachment from House Secretary General Reginald Velasco at 5:50 p.m. on the last session day of Congress before it adjourned to make way for the campaign period of the mid-term Eleksyon 2025.

According to the complaint approved by the House plenary, the complainants moved to impeach Duterte "based on the grounds of Culpable Violation of the Constitution, Betrayal of Public Trust, Graft and Corruption, and Other High Crimes."

As the 215 endorsers exceeded one-third of the House membership of 306, the complaint went straight to the Senate as provided in the 1987 Constitution.

The Senate didn't tackle the transmittal of the articles of impeachment before Congress went on recess.

Bantug said there was a need for "complete staff work" to go over the articles–something that was not finished before the Senate adjourned.

Impeachment questioned before SC

Sara Duterte as early as December welcomed the impeachment complaints filed against her in the House.

She said would be the only one who would be tried and her colleagues in the Office of the Vice President would be spared.

Sara Duterte has since questioned the impeachment before the Supreme Court.

Her camp has argued that the Supreme Court should declare the impeachment complaint against her as null and void on the following grounds:

• the House committed grave abuse of discretion when it deliberately froze action on the first three impeachment complaints filed against Vice President Duterte which were never forwarded to the Office of Speaker, in this case, Leyte Representative Romualdez, as provided by the House Rules; and
• the fourth impeachment complaint signed by 215 House members as complainants violated the Constitution's one-year ban on filing impeachment complaints since the House already took action on the three initial complaints by not forwarding them to the Speaker's office.

Escudero has said the preparations were underway for the impeachment trial but stressed that it would not happen while Congress is on break.

Done by October, says Chiz

Saying that the processes related to the impeachment will start in June, Escudero said the decision in the impeachment trial can be rendered by October this year.

Complainants in the impeachment have called on President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to call a special session of Congress so the Senate sitting as impeachment court may be convened.

A lawyer has also asked the Supreme Court (SC) to compel the Senate to “immediately” convene as an impeachment court and begin the trial of Sara Duterte.

In a 22-page petition for mandamus filed on Friday, Atty. Catalino Generillo Jr. argued that the Constitution does not permit the Senate to delay its duty during recess, stating that it must promptly constitute itself as an impeachment court and try the Vice President. –NB, GMA Integrated News