Marcos: No doubt in Chiz Escudero's ability to run VP Sara's impeachment trial

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has allayed concerns regarding the plan to elect Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero as presiding officer in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

In a press conference in Kazan, Russia, Marcos said the reason why Duterte’s impeachment proceedings last year were halted was because the Supreme Court decision declaring the impeachment unconstitutional.

“That had nothing to do with Senator Chiz,” the President said.

“So in terms of his ability to be able to run the trial, I don't think that's in doubt,” he emphasized.

Senator Panfilo Lacson on Wednesday said that members of the Senate majority bloc have initially agreed to elect Escudero as the presiding officer of the Senate impeachment court, considering that he is a lawyer and has experience with the impeachment process.

But Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said that he does not want to preempt the senators' discussion about the matter.

Under the rules, Gatchalian said it is the Senate President presides over the impeachment trial unless the Senate decides otherwise.

Escudero previously presided over the impeachment court in 2025 when he was still the Senate president.

Asked for comment regarding criticisms on the plan to elect Escudero as the impeachment presiding officer because he supposedly “delayed” the trial in 2025, Marcos said those are merely “opinions.”

“I don't think that reflects in any way on what, how he will do,” the President said.

“As a matter of fact…the rules that were adopted by the Senate were the rules that Senator Chiz wrote during the last year's impeachment, when they were handling the last year's impeachment complaint,” he added.

Regardless, Marcos said he will support anyone whom the Senate chooses to preside over the looming impeachment trial.

“As long as the process that they undertook in making the choice is proper, is legal, is constitutional, then that's fine with me,” he said.

“I will definitely do whatever I can to work together with the legislature, with the Senate in particular, to make sure that things go smoothly. And that we move away from the chaos that we have been seeing in the Senate, and I hope that the new reorganization will achieve that,” he continued.

Lacson said that Escudero may be elected to the post once the Senate impeachment court convenes on July 6, 2026.

The Articles of Impeachment approved by the House for Senate action accuse the Vice President of culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, bribery and other high crimes. — BAP, GMA News