Escudero: Senate not bound by House's preferred impeachment timeline

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/17490144957141749014494659.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Senate President Chiz Escudero and Speaker Martin Romualdez attend the signing ceremony for a law. Yummie Dingding, PPA Pool"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Senate President Chiz Escudero and Speaker Martin Romualdez attend the signing ceremony for a law. <em>Yummie Dingding, PPA Pool </em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA <strong>(2nd UPDATE)</strong> — Senate President Francis Escudero on Wednesday reiterated that the upper chamber has its own rules and will handle the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte at its own pace.</p><p>Escudero made the statement amid clamor from the public and from some members of the House of Representatives for the trial to start.</p><p>The first part of the trial, the reading of the articles of impeachment against Duterte, was supposed to have happened on Monday. It has been pushed back to June 11.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/6/4/chiz-denies-alleged-resolution-dismissing-sara-duterte-impeachment-raps-1039">Imee confirms resolution drafts seeking to dismiss Sara Duterte impeachment; Chiz says no reso filed yet<br/></a></div><p>&quot;Ang mga kongresista tila nasasanay na diktahan ang Senado kaugnay sa gusto nilang mangyari sa impeachment,&quot; Escudero said.</p><p>(The House members seem to have gotten used to dictating on the Senate.)  </p><p>&quot;Pwes kung trabaho ng ilang mambabatas na maging sunud-sunuran kay Speaker [Martin] Romualdez na gusto klaro ang impeachment na ito, hindi namin trabaho ‘yan sa Senado.&quot;</p><p>(Well, if some lawmakers feel it is their job to just follow Speaker Romualdez, who clearly wants this impeachment, we in the Senate do not have that job)</p><p>He said that the Senate will conduct the trial &quot;according to what we believe is the correct process under the law.&quot;</p><p>Escudero previously said that <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/3/5/escudero-no-amount-of-signatures-will-convince-me-to-convene-impeachment-trial-during-recess-2330">public pressure would not get him to start the trial</a> while Congress was on break.</p><p>It is now in session until the 13th, with the Senate expected to start the trial by sitting as the impeachment court. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>S</strong><strong>ENATORS&#x27; DILEMMA</strong></div><p>Meanwhile, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano acknowledged that the Senate is facing a dilemma regarding the vice president&#x27;s impeachment trial -- that is, why even hold a trial when there may not be enough senators to convict and oust her from office.</p><p>&quot;The dilemma is, you want to follow the Constitution, and very clear ang Constitution that the &#x27;trial follows forthwith.&#x27; Walang ifs and buts doon eh, &#x27;di ba?&quot; said Cayetano.</p><p>&quot;Pero ang tanong nga, if a majority of the senators say that &#x27;yung trial ay wala ring mangyayari because you don&#x27;t have the numbers, sino ang masusunod?&quot; he added. &quot;That&#x27;s why tama rin &#x27;yung sinabi ni SP Escudero na 19th ito, the 20th pwede na magbotohan din at sabihin na mali iyon, and we should have a trial.&quot;</p><p>Nonetheless, Cayetano believes that they have to comply with their constitutional duty.</p><p>&quot;I will make it very clear na walang choice ang Senado - walang choice ang Senado we have to carry out our constitutional duty.  Having said that, the practical side of that, is you need 16 to convict. So in a perfect world, kaya nga may 2nd oath,&quot; he said.</p><p>Cayetano adds that another consideration is that impeachment is not the only way to hold the Vice President accountable.</p><p>&quot;So no one will talk about it pero I think nasa mind ng iba yan dito na vice president kasi pwede mong kasuhan sa piskalya, pwede mong kasuhan sa ombudsman. So there are other ways to hold them accountable na walang politika,&quot; he said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>SPECULATION THAT TRIAL WILL NOT PUSH THROUGH<br/></strong></div><p>Senators, including Majority Leader Francis Tolentino this week, raised questions on whether the Senate will resume trial when the 20th Congress convenes.</p><p>That has raised speculation that the trial Vice President Duterte — impeached in February over alleged irregularities in the use of confidential funds and other allegations — will fall through.</p><p>A supposed resolution to dismiss the articles of impeachment on procedural issues spread on social media on Wednesday.</p><p>Escudero said no such resolution has been filed. </p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/6/3/chiz-impeachment-delay-neither-favors-nor-prejudices-either-side-1210">Chiz: Impeachment delay neither favors nor prejudices Duterte team, prosecutors<br/></a></div><p>He said that if a resolution to abandon the impeachment trial is eventually filed, senators will have to debate and vote on it.</p><p>&quot;The Senate is a deliberative body whose plenary is supreme,&quot; he said. <strong>— with RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News</strong></p><div><br/></div><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/7AHWrzj5suQ?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Senate President Francis Escudero on Wednesday reiterated that the upper chamber has its own rules and will handle the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte at its own pace.</p>

Senate President Francis Escudero on Wednesday reiterated that the upper chamber has its own rules and will handle the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte at its own pace.