Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero firmly asserted that the House of Representatives has no discretion to defy the orders of the Senate sitting as an impeachment court, especially concerning the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.
Escudero stressed that the impeachment process is not a matter of co-equal legislative action, and that the House must comply with the orders of the impeachment court, regardless of its position.
“Hindi kami magkapantay pagdating sa bagay na ito,” Escudero said.
“Hindi ito House at Senate kung saan co-equal ang mga ahensyang ’yan. Sa parte ng impeachment, Korte ang Senado; prosecutor ang Kamara. Wala sa lugar, para sa akin, ang Kamara na hindi sumunod sa ipinag-uutos ng impeachment court.” he added.
In a formal letter sent to House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Escudero informed the House that the presentation of the Articles of Impeachment scheduled for June 11, 2025, has been canceled.
This follows the referral of the verified impeachment complaint to the Senate and the issuance of a writ of summons to Vice President Duterte.
Escudero also explained that the Senate, upon convening as an impeachment court, certified that the complaint does not violate the constitutional one-year ban on filing multiple impeachment complaints.
The Senate President further emphasized that the Senate has already acted on two critical motions: compliance with the constitutional ban, and the requirement for a resolution from the 20th Congress to continue the proceedings.
In response to criticism claiming the Senate acted unconstitutionally by returning the Articles of Impeachment to the House, Escudero was direct: “Korte Suprema lamang ang pwedeng magsabi kung ano ang legal at hindi, kung ano ang constitutional at hindi.”
“Kasaysayan lamang, with the benefit of hindsight, ang pwedeng magsabi kung sino ang tama o mali,” he added.
He reminded both chambers of their distinct constitutional roles in impeachment, emphasizing that the Senate, as the impeachment court, issues binding directives to the House, which acts merely as the prosecutorial body.
Escudero reiterated that the 19th Congress had already fulfilled its role in the impeachment process and rejected any notion that congressional time was wasted.
“Walang naaaksayang panahon dahil nagawa namin lahat ng tinakdang gawin sa ilalim ng 19th Congress. Baka nga makatipid pa,” he said, adding that the continuation of the trial is likely to fall under the 20th Congress.
“Gusto pa nila ipursige ang pagpoprosecute at sampa ng kaso laban kay VP Sara. Sa tingin ko, tatawid ito sa 20th Congress,” Escudero noted.
