PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday said he sees no problem with having Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero as presiding judge at the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Sen. Ping Lacson had indicated that Escudero could be the presiding officer of the impeachment court, following a consensus among members of the majority bloc.
During a media interview in Kazan, Russia, Marcos dismissed the criticisms hurled at Escudero for his role as presiding judge over the impeachment trial of Duterte last year.
“Those are opinions. I don’t think that reflects in any way on how he will do. As a matter of fact, the rules that were adopted by the Senate were the rules that Senator Chiz wrote during last year’s impeachment, when they were handling last year’s impeachment complaint,” Marcos said.
“So, in terms of his ability to be able to run the trial, I don’t think that’s in doubt,” he said.
The 2025 trial of Duterte ended before it could officially start after the Supreme Court ruled that the impeachment complaint was unconstitutional and void.
Escudero, who was Senate president at the time, was blamed by critics for trying to archive the case instead of dismissing it through a full trial.
The president said that the Supreme Court ruling has nothing to do with Escudero.
Marcos said he will back whoever the Senate elects as presiding officer, “as long as the process that they undertook in making the choice is proper, is legal, is constitutional.”
Several opposition groups, however, are wary about the choice of Escudero as the trial’s presiding officer.
In a joint statement posted on the page of the coalition Tindig Pilipinas, the groups said that in “a Senate composed of imperfect options, we recognize the tactical considerations that may have informed this plan. But among the available options, this is perhaps the most imperfect and one of the most dangerous.”
“At a time when the Senate must restore public confidence in its independence and credibility, elevating Escudero to this crucial role risks achieving the opposite,” they said.
“This plan inevitably recalls Escudero’s conduct during the previous impeachment proceedings, where his twisted interpretation of the constitutional directive to proceed ‘forthwith’ became the basis for the delay and deferment of the impeachment process,” the groups said.
“The argument that Escudero is best suited for the role because of his legal background is unconvincing. Legal knowledge alone does not guarantee fairness, impartiality or fidelity to the spirit of the Constitution. An impeachment trial is not merely a legal exercise; it is a constitutional and political process that demands public trust in the neutrality of those who oversee it,” they added.
The groups said the impeachment trial is a “defining test” for the Senate and for Philippine democracy, and called on Gatchalian to be the presiding officer instead of Escudero.
“It must demonstrate that no public official is above the law and that constitutional accountability cannot be defeated through procedural maneuvering. The Senate owes the Filipino people a process that is fair, credible and beyond suspicion. With the issue of the legitimacy of the Senate presidency settled, we hope the new Senate majority reconsiders and instead let Senate President [Sherwin] Gatchalian lead as presiding judge and shepherd the impeachment trial to its just conclusion,” they said.
Among the organizations who signed the joint statement were 1Sambayan, August Twenty One Movement, Buhay ang People Power Campaign Network, Student Council Alliance of the Philippines, and 18 other groups and civil society organizations, as well as 16 individuals that included Fr. Flavie Villanueva.
Duterte’s impeachment trial was among the controversies cited by the Catholic Church and other religious groups that demanded accountability.
In a press conference on Friday, Bishop Efraim Tendero, global ambassador of the World Evangelical Alliance, underlined the moral responsibility of religious leaders to guide the nation toward justice and accountability.
“While the Constitution recognizes the separation of the church and state, we cannot separate the state from God,” said Tendero.
Religious organizations will hold a “White Ribbon March” on June 28 at the EDSA People Power Monument, demanding accountability from the government.
The White Ribbon Movement (WRM), led by Kidapawan Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, will be joined by the Inter-Religious Leaders Council for National Transformation.
The WRM has presented three key demands: ending corruption, the passage of a “genuine” anti-political dynasty bill and implementing electoral reforms.
The WRM evolved from the “Trillion Peso March” protests launched last year.
Bagaforo explained the significance of the movement. “White is for all people of goodwill. It represents honesty, integrity and our shared commitment to a better future for the Philippines,” he said.
The June 28 protest will feature interfaith prayers, speeches from religious and civic leaders, and a march to the People Power Monument. Participants are encouraged to wear white as a sign of solidarity.
“As citizens, we know our part. We trust our country to God. So let us unite on June 28, 2026, at the People’s Power Monument, as we hold another large-scale protest,” Bagaforo said in Filipino.
