Senate Agrees on Escudero Oath for Impeachment Court
After extensive discussions, the Senate plenary finally approved Senator Joel Villanueva’s motion for Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero to take his oath as presiding officer of the impeachment court handling Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment complaint. The decision came late Monday night, June 9, highlighting the urgency to move forward with the impeachment process.
Villanueva revealed that Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III consented to an amendment of his earlier motion. Pimentel had initially called for the Senate to immediately activate its constitutional duty and begin the impeachment trial without delay.
Referral to Committee on Rules and Senate Judges’ Oath
When the session resumed after 8 p.m., Villanueva moved to refer the impeachment complaint to the Senate Committee on Rules. The motion was swiftly approved. Before Villanueva could proceed with his proposal for senators to take their oath as senator judges on June 10, Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa sought clarification about convening the impeachment court once the oaths were taken.
Villanueva clarified that taking their oaths would not automatically trigger the court’s convening. However, Pimentel insisted the impeachment court would convene immediately after the oaths. Dela Rosa expressed his intention to object if the motion implied automatic convening, prompting further debate among senators.
Escudero’s Oath and Senate Judges Scheduled
Shortly before 9 p.m., Villanueva moved for Escudero to take his oath as presiding officer of the impeachment court, which the Senate approved. Escudero then took his oath before Senate Secretary Atty. Renato N. Bantug Jr. Following this, Villanueva moved that senators-judges take their oaths at 4 p.m. on June 10, emphasizing that the impeachment court would be constituted but not yet convened.
This adjustment in the impeachment proceedings schedule followed Pimentel’s earlier motions, which included calling the impeachment court to formally acknowledge the case against Vice President Duterte, reconvening at 2 p.m. on June 10 for the presentation and reading of the Articles of Impeachment by the House prosecutors, and issuing a writ of summons to the Vice President after the charges are read. These motions, however, were not discussed further.
Pimentel’s Call for Urgency and Accountability
In a privilege speech, Pimentel warned that any delay undermines the Constitution’s clear mandate and risks eroding public trust in the Senate’s ability to ensure accountability and uphold the rule of law. “Not only do many believe that the Senate is heading to a no-trial scenario, worse, many have opined that simply by inaction or by merely refusing to convene as the impeachment court, the Senate seems to believe that it can effectively dismiss or defeat an impeachment complaint duly filed and transmitted by the House of Representatives,” he stated.
He also cited Rule 10 of the Senate’s Rules of Procedure on Impeachment Trials, which mandates that when an impeachment trial is scheduled, all other Senate business must be suspended to allow the trial to proceed.
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