No oath-taking of new senator-judges sans new SP in 20th Congress —Tongol

There will be no oath-taking of new senators who will serve as judges in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte until the 20th Congress begins session and a new Senate President gets elected, Senate impeachment court spokesperson Atty. Regie Tongol said Wednesday. 

This was in response to the call of Senator Risa Hontiveros for Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero, who sits as presiding officer of the impeachment court, to already conduct the oath-taking of the new senator-judges. 

According to Tongol, the swearing in of the new senator-judges depend on the existence of a presiding officer or a Senate president. 

Since a new Congress is set to open, Escudero may either be reelected or get replaced as the top leader of the upper chamber come the 20th Congress. 

“[The] senator-judges will have to take their oath before the presiding officer. And as you know, if one Congress adjourns and another begins, the Senate president is going to be elected or reelected again, so kailangan po nating hintayin kung kanino manunumpa [we have to wait who they will swear in to],” Tongol said. 

“Ayaw po ng presiding officer na magkaroon ng kwestyon doon sa proseso o sa step na ‘yun ng panunumpa na maaari pang makwestyon at magkaroon ng legal impediments kapag nagpatuloy na ang proseso. So gusto ng presiding officer, as a matter of prudence and diligence, na gawin na lamang ‘yun kapag nag-elect ng Senate president,” he added. 

(The presiding officer does not want any questions to be raised in the process or in that step of oath taking and raise possible legal impediments when the process continues. So the presiding officer, as a matter of prudence and diligence, wants to do that when a Senate president gets elected.) 

Tongol clarified that the earliest date that the new senator-judges may take their oath is on July 29—a day after the 20th Congress opens on July 28, coinciding with the fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. 

He, however, clarified that Escudero currently remains to be the impeachment court presiding officer as a matter of “holdover principle.”

Asked if Escudero will not do anything impeachment-related until the 20th Congress opens, Tongol said: “Well as of today, I think ganon ‘yun [that will be the case]…and as based on the pronouncements of the Senate president himself during his presscon last week, I think that is the policy that he is taking for the mean time.”

“However, in the next few weeks, hindi natin alam. We cannot second guess kung ano ‘yung…baka may makapag-persuade sa kanya, so hindi ko alam,” he continued. 

(However, we don't know what may happen in the next few weeks. We cannot second guess what can happen. Maybe someone can persuade him, so I don't know.) 

The House of Representatives impeached Duterte on February 5, with over 200 lawmakers endorsing the complaint. The Vice President was accused of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the constitution, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.

The Senate impeachment court convened on June 10, with the trial proper expected to begin in the 20th Congress. —AOL, GMA Integrated News