Senate President Francis Escudero said the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte will likely begin after the President’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 21, under the 20th Congress, emphasizing that there is no need for a special session.
In an interview with ANC’s “Headstart,” Escudero dismissed calls for a special session to address the complaint before the Senate reconvenes on June 2.
He said that the impeachment complaint against Duterte will not be treated as a special case, emphasizing that the Senate will follow established procedures without deviation.
He stressed that there is no constitutional provision requiring an immediate session for impeachment cases.
“There’s no such provision. I do not want to treat this impeachment complaint against the Vice President as a special case, it is not special from my point of view. The Senate does not view it as special and different too,” he explained.
In a press conference on Monday, he explained that the impeachment case against Duterte includes seven articles, but the prosecution could opt to drop some charges.
He also confirmed that under impeachment rules, a subpoena, not an invitation, would be issued to witnesses to ensure their mandatory attendance.
Asked about the possibility of Duterte resigning, Escudero noted that the Senate could still decide whether to proceed with the trial to impose the penalty of perpetual disqualification from public office.
The Senate President also dismissed concerns about the cost of an impeachment trial, saying that the Senate’s existing budget would cover expenses without additional funding.
“Cost-wise, it is not that expensive. I don’t need to request additional funds from the DBM. They can manage the impeachment proceedings within the 2025 budget, even though this was not initially anticipated,” he said.
As presiding officer of the impeachment court, Escudero vowed to ensure fairness in the proceedings.
“Our job is to render justice, whatever that may mean. It may mean a conviction, it may mean an acquittal…what we should care about is where the evidence takes us. That is where we should go, where the evidence takes us nothing less, nothing more,” Escudero concluded.
At the Lower Chamber, two congressmen asserted that her trial could validly proceed even after the transition to the 20th Congress, citing historical precedent from the United States.
“Yes, that’s why we ended it and filed it, because the ball is now in the Senate and the Senate will be able to hear it based on the Articles of Impeachment that we filed,” Manila Rep. Joel Chua, a member of the House prosecution team, said in Filipino.
Chua, chairman of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability, pointed out that in the US, impeachment cases have crossed congressional sessions and proceeded to trial in the next Congress.
“You know that happens in America, I think it’s been four times where the impeachment was filed in another Congress, in the next Congress the impeachment was tried. So this is not new, it has also happened in America,” he added.
For his part, Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre supported Chua’s statement, citing the case of former US President Bill Clinton.
“That’s what happened to Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton, former President of the USA was impeached by the 105th Congress. Then his trial happened during the 106th Congress, Senate of the 106 Congress,” he said in Filipino.
He pointed out that the rules on impeachment in the Philippines are largely patterned after the US impeachment system but with some key differences.
Acidre further noted that the Philippine Constitution clearly distinguishes legislative and non-legislative functions, and impeachment falls under the latter.
Meanwhile, Chua disclosed that House impeachment prosecutors are preparing to request subpoenas for the bank records of the Vice President as part of their strategy to strengthen the case against her once the Senate convenes as an Impeachment Court.
He confirmed that the prosecution team is exploring legal options to obtain financial records that could be relevant to particular articles in the impeachment charges against the Vice President.
This follows the Senate’s pronouncement that it will convene as an Impeachment Court on June 2, nearly four months after the Articles of Impeachment were transmitted last February 5.
“The impeachment process allows us to complete the evidence to support our case, and that includes subpoenaing financial records if necessary through the Senate impeachment court,” Chua said.
“The Bank Secrecy Law provides an exception for impeachment cases, and we intend to use all legal means to secure relevant documents, in addition to the evidence already present, that will aid in the trial,” he pointed out.
The Articles of Impeachment against Duterte have already been transmitted to the Senate, but the Upper Chamber has yet to formally convene the Senate Impeachment Court.
House prosecutors emphasize that they will be ready to present evidence once proceedings begin.