THE Senate majority bloc has reportedly agreed to elect Sen. Francis Escudero as the presiding officer of the Senate impeachment court that will hear the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte, despite widespread perceptions that he slow-walked similar proceedings against her in 2025.
Sources said the decision of the majority of senators aligns with the recommendation of Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, who reportedly emphasized Escudero’s legal background and extensive experience in legislative proceedings as key qualifications for the role.
The election of Escudero as presiding officer is expected to take place on July 6, when the Senate is scheduled to convene as an impeachment court and begin proceedings on the impeachment complaint against the vice president.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson confirmed that Gatchalian will not preside over the impeachment trial, noting that the Senate leadership and the majority bloc believe the position should be held by a senator with sufficient legal expertise.
Lacson clarified that Escudero’s expected designation was not part of any political negotiations following his move to the majority bloc. Instead, he said senators independently concluded that the presiding officer must possess a solid understanding of legal procedures and parliamentary rules.
“The presiding officer should have basic knowledge of the law because there are instances during the trial when motions and procedural issues must be acted upon immediately,” Lacson said.
Under Senate rules, the impeachment court is tasked with hearing evidence and arguments from both the prosecution and the defense before determining whether the impeached official should be convicted or acquitted.
The reported decision to designate Escudero as presiding officer, however, has drawn mixed reactions from various sectors that had previously criticized his handling of the 2025 impeachment proceedings against Duterte.
Several lawmakers, legal scholars, civil society groups and impeachment advocates had accused Escudero of unnecessarily delaying the impeachment process after the House of Representatives transmitted the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate in February 2025.
Critics argued that the Constitution’s requirement that impeachment cases proceed “forthwith” called for the immediate convening of the Senate as an impeachment court. Escudero maintained at the time that the Senate could not properly organize the court until Congress resumed session in June and that all actions taken were consistent with Senate rules and constitutional requirements.
The criticism intensified in June 2025 when the Senate, sitting as an impeachment court under Escudero’s leadership, voted to return the articles of impeachment to the House of Representatives for certification on constitutional issues rather than immediately proceeding to trial. The move triggered protests from activist groups and objections from some lawmakers, who argued that the Senate had a constitutional duty to hear the case without further delay. Escudero defended the decision as a procedural measure and insisted that the case had not been dismissed.
The upcoming impeachment proceedings against Duterte are expected to draw significant public attention, as they involve one of the country’s highest-ranking elected officials and could have major political implications for the administration and the broader political landscape.
Further details on the trial schedule, court procedures and the composition of the prosecution and defense panels are expected to be finalized once the Senate convenes as an impeachment court.
Prosecutors get free hand
Meanwhile, the House leadership is giving its prosecutors a free hand in the impeachment trial.
“We all know Chair[man] Jinky [Luistro] is the head prosecutor for the public prosecutors, and she’s done a great job in steering and managing the impeachment in itself,” House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos said in a media interview.
“So I don’t think it’s necessary for the leadership to intervene or have any directives to them,” Marcos said.
“They are all brilliant in their own way. So I think just leave them be and let them do what they have to do,” he said.
The House, voting 257-25 with nine abstentions, impeached Duterte on May 11 over alleged misuse of confidential funds, unexplained wealth allegedly amassed, alleged bribery and her statement that she had hired someone to kill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. if she herself were killed. The House then sent the impeachment articles to the Senate for trial.
Duterte has issued general denials of the allegations, but refused to attend any of the hearings of the House Committee on Justice to determine if there was probable cause to impeach her. Her lawyers have since sought to scuttle the impeachment trial.
On May 12, the House elected the following as impeachment prosecutors: Luistro, Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon, 1-Rider Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez, San Juan City Rep. Ysabel Maria Zamora, Iloilo 3rd District Rep. Lorenz Defensor, Akbayan Rep. Jose Manuel Diokno, Mamamayang Liberal Rep. Leila de Lima, Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-ao, Bukidnon 2nd District Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores, Cagayan de Oro 1st District Rep. Lordan Suan and Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua.
The prosecution panel and the defense team filed their pretrial briefs before the Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, on June 15.
