Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero Breaks Silence on Postponing Impeachment Proceedings of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte
CHIZ ESCUDERO – The Senate President spoke on the impeachment trial proceedings against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte.
Last February 5, the House of Representatives impeached Vice Pres. Sara Duterte after 2/3 of the lawmakers in the lower chamber signed the impeachment rap. There is a looming impeachment trial against Duterte now but many people doubts if it will push through.
The speculations that there might be no impeachment trial against the Vice President crossed the surface after the Senate postponed the impeachment proceedings against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. From June 2, the presentation of the articles of impeachment by the prosecution team of the House of Representatives, it is moved to June 11.
According to Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero, the House and the Senate still have a lot of measures to pass before the 19th Congress adjourns. He also cited that the Commission on Appointments still have a lot of presidential appointments to review.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte is currently in The Hague, Netherlands. The delay in the impeachment trial proceedings against the Vice President gathered different reactions and sparked questions.
Recently, Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero broke his silence on postponing the impeachment trial proceedings against Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, the Senate Chief stressed that the decision will not benefit or be a disadvantage on either side.
“Walang mapapaboran nito, walang masasaktan… Ang nakuha lang namin dito ay mas mahabang panahon para magawa yung totoo talaga naming trabaho—ang magpasa ng makabuluhang batas,” he said.
Escudero stressed that the farthest that the Senate can do in the 19th Congress is to issue summons to the Vice President. She will be given 10 days to respond to it and, by that time, the 19th Congress has already adjourned. The Senate President further explained that the prosecutors will lose their power by June 30.
Based on the report, when asked about the possibility that the Senate would not convene as an impeachment court halting the trial in the 20th Congress, Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero answered in the affirmative but expressed his doubts that it will happen.
The Senate President stressed that the Senate plenary will get to decide. According to him, the plenary can even decide not to convene on June 11 but he doubts it.
“Hindi pwedeng i-bind ng 19th Congress ang 20th Congress. Pwedeng sabihin ng 19th Congress na tatawid yang [impeachment], pwede sabihin ng 20th Congress na hindi, at idi-dismiss nila ‘yan. Sa dulo, you have to understand na sa Congress, plenary is supreme,” he expressed.
According to Escudero, their priority now is to approve certain measures and confirm over 300 appointments. Recently, presidential sister and Sen. Imee Marcos reacted to the delay in the impeachment proceedings versus Vice Pres. Sara Duterte.