Chiz to push for reconvening of impeachment court on August 4

Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Monday said that he will propose to his fellow senators that the impeachment court for the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte begin on August 4, 2025.

Escudero, who sits as presiding officer of the impeachment court, explained that notices have to be given both to the House prosecution and Duterte's camp.

He also said that the House of Representatives still has to comply with the court’s order when it voted to return the articles of impeachment on June 10. 

“‘Yun ‘yung imumungkahi ko. Bakit ‘yung petsang ‘yun? Dahil kailangang bigyan ng notice ‘yung mga partido. Hindi naman pwedeng naisipan lang ng majority ng Senado pag-open ng Senado eh bukas na bukas din. Kailangang may sapat na panahon para mabigyan ng notice ‘yung mga partido,” Escudero said in an ambush interview. 

(That's what I'm going to propose. Why that date? Because the parties have to be given notice. The Senate majority can’t simply decide that the trial begins the next day. There needs to be enough time to give notice to the parties involved.) 

“Pangalawa, wala pa namang order ‘yung Senado dun na hindi pa kino-comply ng Kamara. Hopefully, that one week period, ‘yung Kamara will be given time to comply with the orders of the Senate impeachment court dahil ‘yung pangalawang order hindi ba, dapat ang gumawa nun 20th House of Representatives, hindi ‘yung nagdaang House of Representatives. Kung hindi man nila ma-comply yun pagdating ng August 4, edi dun na lang namin pag-uusapan,” he added. 

(Second, the House has not yet complied with the order issued by the Senate. Hopefully with that one-week period, they will be able to do so because the second order states that it is the 20th House of Representatives that should comply. If they won’t be able to comply by August 4, then we have yet to talk about that.) 

The Senate impeachment court first convened on June 10, with the senator-judges under the 19th Congress voting to return the articles of impeachment without dismissing or terminating the case until such time that:

• The House of Representatives certify to the non violation of Article XI, Section 3, paragraph 5 of the Constitution, which provides that “No impeachment proceedings shall be initiated against the same official more than once within one year; include the circumstances on the filing of the first three impeachment complaints"; and
• The House of Representatives of the 20th Congress communicates to the Senate that it is willing and ready to pursue the impeachment complaint against the Vice President.

It was Senator Joel Villanueva who first revealed that the day one of Duterte’s impeachment trial may be on August 4—a week after the Senate and the House of Representatives open their first regular session for the 20th Congress. 

Escudero, meanwhile, shrugged off claims that the Senate is delaying the trial, stressing that it is not their job to rush it. 

“Hindi porket nagmamadali sila ay kailangan na rin namin magmadali. Gagawin namin ito sang ayon sa proseso. Ulitin ko, madaliin, delay na naman—edi bukas na bukas rin mag-hearing tayo kahit na walang notice sa mga partido—paano naman ‘yun?” He asked. 

(Just because they're in a hurry, we have to hurry as well. We'll do it according to the process. We can’t conduct the hearing without giving notice to the parties involved.) 

Escudero said that the final date regarding the impeachment proceedings will be announced in the plenary. 

'In accordance with rules'

In a separate press conference, House spokesperson and lawyer Princess Abante said that the House, in answering the Supreme Court order asking for details of filed impeachment complaints against the Vice President, maintained that that the House complied with the Constitution and the House Rules in sending the fourth impeachment complaint to the Senate.

Abante said that the fourth impeachment complaint was transmitted to the Senate for trial because it met the required one-third of House members signing off on the impeachment complaint.

Moreover, she added, the first three impeachment complaints were never initiated but archived by the House on February 5, the day that the House impeached the Vice President based on the fourth impeachment complaint.

The archiving of the first three impeachment complaints, Abante said, was an action taken by the House on the first three impeachment complaints within 10 session days as required by the House rules.

“The House of Representatives made it clear to the Supreme Court that all matters that were conducted in the initiation of the impeachment were in accordance with the Constitution and the House’s internal rules and regulations,” Abante said in a press conference.

“The first three were transmitted to the Speaker of the House and were included in the Order of Business within 10 session days. Because of the fourth complaint [getting the required number of at least one-third of House members as signatories], the first three [impeachment complaints] have been considered moot because they were archived,” Abante said, referring to the House plenary action on the first three complaints.

Further, Abante said “the initiation of impeachment complaint lies solely with the House of Representatives.”

 

 

Inhibit?

On Monday, youth group Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK) trooped to the Senate, urging Escudero to inhibit as senator-judge and presiding officer in Duterte’s impeachment trial. 

In their open letter, the student leaders asserted that there is an “immediate need not only to get on with the impeachment proceedings forthwith, but to demonstrate to the public that the proceedings will be insulated as much as possible from political maneuvering and will be focused only on weighing the merits of evidence.” 

“As Senate President, recusing from the proceedings of the impeachment court assures the public that the leading figure of the Senate will stand above the partisan politics that define the legislative process,” the youth group said. 

“We believe that the delays in the start of the impeachment proceedings—whatever their reason—have damaged the legitimacy of the Senate enough to merit drastic measures on your part as Senate President to reassure the public that the impeachment court can carry out its constitutional duty without fear or favor,” it added. 

Escudero, in response, said that he does not consider the call of the students a necessity nor fair. 

“Kung ang depinisyon nila ng pagiging patas as kakampi sa kanila sa gusto nila, pwes hindi patas ‘yun. Klaro ang gusto nilang mangyari, at porke hindi sumasangayon o sumusunod sa kanila, eh hindi na patas. Being fair means applying the rule evenly to everyone regardless who it is,” the Senate President said. 

(If their definition of fairness is to side with them in everything they want, then it's not fair. What they want to happen is clear, and it doesn’t mean that just because we don't agree or follow them, it's not fair already. Being fair means applying the rule equally to everyone regardless of who it is.) 

Escudero also reiterated that the impeachment court will not listen to anyone who is in favor of or against the impeachment trial and will only do what is right in accordance with the law. 

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.

Duterte had entered a “not guilty” plea in the verified impeachment complaint filed against her, which she called merely a “scrap of paper.” — with a report by Llanesca T. Panti/VAL/BM, GMA Integrated News