Sara Duterte’s Impeachment Trial to Proceed Despite Rodrigo Duterte’s ICC Case
SARA DUTERTE – The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte will proceed as scheduled, even as her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, faces legal challenges at the ICC.
Senate President Francis Escudero confirmed that the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte will proceed as scheduled, even though her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, is facing legal issues at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Escudero clarified that the impeachment case and the ICC proceedings are separate matters and should not affect each other. “Those are separate incidents. I don’t see any connection between the two, and it’s not a reason to delay anything the Senate needs to do regarding our work here and whatever is happening in The Hague,” he said.
He stressed that there is no legal basis to delay the impeachment trial due to the ICC’s actions or any protest related to the case. “There is no law that says we will postpone the impeachment because of the ICC. There is nothing in the law that allows us to postpone the impeachment because of a protest action,” Escudero added.
Escudero had earlier proposed a timeline for the impeachment trial, which would begin with the reading of the Articles of Impeachment on June 2, followed by the approval of revised trial rules. He explained that this schedule has already been shared with the House of Representatives, the Vice President, and Senate members. The final decision on the timeline will depend on the majority vote of the Senate and the impeachment court.
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According to the report, Escudero also mentioned that Vice President Duterte is not required to personally attend the trial unless the impeachment court specifically calls for her appearance. He added that this shouldn’t be an issue, as the Vice President’s identity and position are already well-known.
Despite the political challenges faced by the Duterte family, Escudero assured that the impeachment trial will push through as planned.