SC petition vs Escudero as presider aims to delay VP Sara trial — House prosecutors

MANILA, Philippines — The House prosecution panel on Tuesday, July 7, criticized the legal maneuvers of Vice President Sara Duterte's supporters, dismissing their latest Supreme Court petition as an absurd and desperate attempt to stall her ongoing impeachment trial. The camp of Duterte filed a petition before the Supreme Court on July 6, challenging the authority of Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero to preside over the proceedings, arguing that the Constitution intended only the sitting Senate president to lead the trial. For Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong (Lanao del Sur's 1st District), the groups that filed the petition are closely associated with Duterte, and their clear intention is to delay the proceedings. "It's very obvious lahat ng ginagawa nila to delay, and unfortunately, na-frustrate sila ng Constitution because it (impeachment proceeding) has already started, and hanggang ngayon ay sila nawawalan ng pag-asa para idelay nang idelay," Adiong said. (It's very obvious that everything they are doing is to delay, and unfortunately, they were frustrated by the Constitution because it has already started, and until now, they are losing hope of delaying it further and further.) For Rep. Terry Ridon (Bicol Saro Party-list), the endless petitions are becoming ridiculous and wasteful. "Ilang petisyon na 'yan eh. Ilang petisyon na 'yan, ilang mosyon na 'yan," Ridon said. (How many petitions has that been already? That's already several petitions, several motions.) "Hindi ba sila naawa sa puno? Nagsasayang sila ng papel," he added. (Don't they have any pity for the trees? They're just wasting paper.) Lawyer Reginald Tongol, spokesperson for the impeachment court, said any individual may exhaust all available legal remedies. "Since meron na pong kaso sa Supreme Court 'yon, meron na pong sub judice rule and hindi na po magko-comment 'yung impeachment court regarding that matter," Tongol said. (Since that case is already with the Supreme Court, the sub judice rule is now in effect, and the impeachment court will no longer comment regarding that matter.) When asked what would happen if the high court issued a temporary restraining order on the proceedings, Tongol said the impeachment court would still need to vote on the matter. "Because this is a collegial body, not a single person can speak for the body. Mas mabuti pong pagbotohan kung susundan ng kongreso o ng senado yung mga ganung order from a court or another branch of government," Tongol said. (Because this is a collegial body, not a single person can speak for the body. It is better to vote on whether Congress or the Senate will follow those kinds of orders from a court or another branch of government.) Tuesday, July 7, marked the second day of Duterte's impeachment trial. For the first 11 days, the House prosecution team is set to tackle Article IV of the Articles of Impeachment, which centers on the alleged grave threats Duterte made in November 2024 against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos and former House speaker Martin Romualdez.