No final decision yet on Sara Duterte impeachment trial presiding officer — Sherwin Gatchalian

Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian on Wednesday said no final decision has been made on the possible election of a presiding officer for Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.

In an interview on dzBB Super Radyo, Gatchalian said the Rules of Procedure on Impeachment Trials mandate the Senate President to preside over impeachment proceedings.

“Under our rules, ang presiding officer ng impeachment other than the President is the Senate President,” Gatchalian said.

(Under our rules, the Senate President serves as the presiding officer in impeachment cases, except when the President is on trial.)

“Tayo ang tumatayong presiding officer ng impeachment pero doon din sa rules, kung ang tingin ng Senado ay dapat mag-appoint ng iba, puwede rin ’yun pag-usapan,” he added.

(We serve as the presiding officer based on the rules, but if the Senate believes another senator should be appointed, that can also be discussed.)

Senator Panfilo Lacson earlier said members of the Senate majority bloc had initially agreed to elect Senator Francis Escudero as presiding officer of the Senate impeachment court that will hear Duterte’s case.

Gatchalian, however, clarified that senators have yet to formally discuss the matter.

“Marami akong binabasa… Of course, itong mga Articles of Impeachment ay dapat pag-aralan nang mabuti lalo na ang mga ebidensya. Ngayon lang naman na-present ng defense at prosecution ang mga ebidensya at testigo, ’yun din ang tinitingnan namin,” he said.

(I am preparing for the proceedings. We are reading extensively and carefully studying the Articles of Impeachment, including the evidence and witnesses presented by both the defense and prosecution.)

Under the current Rules of Procedure on Impeachment Trials, the Senate President presides over impeachment cases. However, proposed Senate Resolution No. 430 seeks to amend the rule by allowing the Senate to elect a senator as presiding officer through a majority vote of members present.

Duterte is facing impeachment charges over allegations of culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, bribery, and other high crimes. In May, she was impeached by the House of Representatives for the second time in two years.

The Senate convened as an impeachment court on May 18. On June 1, Duterte’s camp filed its answer to the Articles of Impeachment, asking the court to dismiss the case.

The pre-trial conference for Duterte’s impeachment trial formally began on June 18.—MCG, GMA News