Escudero: Senate needs special session to act on VP Sara Duterte impeachment

Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero asserted on Sunday that the Senate could not proceed with the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte without President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. calling a special session.

This comes after Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III argued that the trial could proceed even during Congress' break.

“Bago yata ‘yun. Hindi pwedeng mag-special session ang Senado nang kami lang. May proseso, may procedure, at may mga basehan bago magpatawag ng isang special session. Hindi ganon ganon na lamang,” Escudero said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview. 

(That’s new. The Senate cannot hold a special session on its own. There’s a process, a procedure, and a basis needed before calling one. It’s not that simple.)

He emphasized that informal meetings or caucuses among senators do not equate to a special session that can establish an impeachment court.

Pimentel had earlier urged Escudero to convene a caucus to discuss the trial, citing concerns that senators might be preoccupied with the 2025 midterm elections. In a letter, he also called for the immediate start of the impeachment trial.

Escudero said he has yet to discuss Pimentel’s proposal but stressed that Duterte’s impeachment should be handled like previous cases, without special treatment.

Partisan influence

Escudero also underscored that the Senate will not be influenced by partisan opinions.

“Sino man ang magsasalitang partisano, sino man ang hihirit at magbibigay ng opinyon na merong nang posisyon—pabor o hindi pabor sa impeachment, pabor o kontra kay VP Sara—hindi namin gaanong bibigyan ng pansin dahil partisano nga sila eh,” he said. 

(We won’t give much weight to those who already have a stance—whether for or against impeachment, or for or against VP Sara—because they are partisan.)

“Ang susundin namin ang Konstitusyon, ang batas, at kung ano ang tingin naming tama. Hindi kung ano ang dinidikta higit pa ng mga partisano at mga may mga may sarili nang posisyon kaugnay sa impeachment,” he added. 

(We will follow the Constitution, the law, and what we believe is right—not what partisans dictate.)

Mandated by the Constitution

Manila 3rd District Representative Joel Chua, one of the House prosecutors, countered that the Senate can convene as an impeachment court even during recess, citing Article 11, Section 3(4) of the 1987 Constitution.

“Kami naman ay nirerespeto naman namin kung ano ang magiging desisyon o pasya ng Senado, lalong lalo na ng Senate President. Pero ang stand namin dito, dapat agaran na ang pagta-try nitong impeachment dahil ito po ay iniuutos ng Saligang Batas,” Chua said in a separate interview.

(We respect the Senate's decision, especially that of the Senate President. But our stance is that the trial should proceed immediately, as mandated by the Constitution.) 

The House impeached Duterte on February 5, with over 200 lawmakers endorsing the complaint. The Articles of Impeachment were transmitted to the Senate the same day, but the upper chamber adjourned without addressing the case.

Meanwhile, Duterte has filed a Supreme Court petition challenging the validity of the impeachment complaint.

Lawyers from Mindanao and other groups have also asked the SC to stop the trial, calling the complaint defective.

Another petition seeks to compel the Senate to convene as an impeachment court immediately. — DVM/KG, GMA Integrated News