Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Senate President Chiz Escudero answers questions from the media during a press conference at a restaurant in Quezon City on February 19, 2025.  Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Chiz

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/174961884526520250219-escudero-chiz-MT-1.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Senate President Chiz Escudero answers questions from the media during a press conference at a restaurant in Quezon City on February 19, 2025.  Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News"/><span class="fr-inner">Senate President Chiz Escudero answers questions from the media during a press conference at a restaurant in Quezon City on February 19, 2025.  Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Senate President Francis &quot;Chiz&quot; Escudero insisted Wednesday that in the context of the impeachment proceedings, the House of Representatives and the Senate are &quot;not co-equal&quot; and the former must follow the senator-judges&#x27; orders.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/6/11/house-can-reject-duterte-impeachment-case-sent-back-by-senate-expert-1026">House can reject Duterte impeachment case sent back by Senate: expert</a></div><p>&quot;Hindi kami magkapantay sa bagay na ito, hindi ito House at Senate kung saan co-equal ang mga ahensyang yan,&quot; Escudero said in a press conference.</p><p>(In this regard, the House of Representatives and the Senate are not co-equal branches of government.)</p><p>Escudero issued the remark a day after the Senate convened as an impeachment court and 18 senators voted in favor of the motion to remand the articles of impeachment to the House, where the complaint originated. </p><p>The Senate impeachment court ordered the House of Representatives to certify that their impeachment complaint did not violate the Constitution.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/6/10/sara-duterte-impeachment-trial-in-limbo-after-senate-returns-case-to-house-expert-0727">Sara Duterte impeachment trial ‘in limbo’ after Senate returns case to House: expert</a></div><p>However, University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law assistant professor Paolo Tamase said the Senate&#x27;s move may have violated the “constitutional structure” as “it seems to make the Senate the supervisor of the House.&quot;</p><p>Some House lawmakers also criticized the return of the complaint, with one saying it was &quot;not an option.&quot;</p><p>But Escudero said that the Senate is operating as a court, while the House is the prosecutor who must follow orders of the court. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/6/11/senate-sets-dangerous-precedent-with-duterte-impeachment-case-remand-expert-lawmaker-1153">Senate sets ‘dangerous precedent’ with Duterte impeachment case remand: expert, lawmaker</a></div><p>&quot;Sa parte ng impeachment, korte ang Senado, prosecutor ang Kamara. Wala sa lugar para sa akin ang Kamara na hindi sumunod sa ipinag-uutos ng impeachment court,&quot; he said.</p><p>(In an impeachment, the Senate is the court, and the House is the prosecutor. I believe it&#x27;s wrong for the House to defy orders of the impeachment court.)</p><p>[Ang] prosecution ay isa lamang partido sa kaso, hindi magkapantay ang paritdo at korte, saan mang parte ng mundo,&quot; Escudero added.</p><p>(Prosecution is only one element in a legal proceeding, and it is subordinate to the court. That&#x27;s how it is all over the world.)</p><p>At least two other lawmakers said the House would meet soon to decide its next steps.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/E9Z5boURBIw?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Senate President Francis Escudero said that in the context of the impeachment proceedings, that House of Representatives and the Senate are "not co-equal."</p>

Senate President Francis Escudero said that in the context of the impeachment proceedings, that House of Representatives and the Senate are "not co-equal."

'Not co-equal': Escudero says House cannot defy impeachment court's orders

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'Not co-equal': Escudero says House cannot defy impeachment court's orders

Jauhn Etienne Villaruel,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jun 11, 2025 01:25 PM PHT

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Updated Jun 11, 2025 02:02 PM PHT

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Senate

senators

impeachment

impeachment complaint

impeachment trial

politics

Sara Duterte

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VP Sara Duterte

Chiz Escudero

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