Chiz Escudero Elected Presiding Officer of VP Duterte Impeachment Trial

Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero was formally elected on Monday afternoon as the presiding officer of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. Escudero was nominated to the post by Senator Panfilo Lacson amid the opposition of Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano and the minority bloc. Twelve senators voted in favor of Escudero's election, while eight were against. Senators Kiko Pangilinan and former Senate President Tito Sotto pointed out that there is no explicit Constitutional provision that the Senate President should be the presiding officer of the impeachment trial of the Vice President. Escudero previously presided over the impeachment court in 2025 when he was still the Senate president. Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian maintained that the amendment to the Senate rules allowing a non-Senate president to serve as a presiding officer of the impeachment court was provided under a Senate resolution approved last June 3 and later ratified on June 17, both without opposition. “That [amendment] is anchored on our Constitution, under Article 11, Section 3, paragraph 8 which states that Congress shall promulgate its rules on impeachment. The resolution has been duly approved and everyone was given the opportunity to discuss, object. No one objected,” he said. Likewise, Gatchalian said that questions on amendments of Senate rules should be discussed when Senate convenes as a legislative body and not when it functions as a Senate impeachment court. Pangilinan, a lawyer like Cayetano, agreed. “The Constitution provides that when the President is under impeachment trial, the Chief Justice must be the presiding officer. Nowhere in the Constitution states that the Senate President must preside when the Vice President is under impeachment trial, or any other impeachable officer for that matter,” he stressed. The unopposed approval of the amendment of the Senate impeachment rules, Pangilinan said, is solid proof that it underwent due process. “When we approved the amendment to the rules, presumption of regularity comes into fore,” he said. Cayetano, however, maintained that the Senate is starting on the wrong foot. “Why do we have to vote for the presiding officer? This amendment [allowing a non-Senate president to preside] is void,” he said. “The Constitution already settled it,” he added. Duterte, who is facing impeachment charges over allegations of culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, bribery, and other high crimes, was impeached by the House of Representatives for the second time this May. She was first impeached by the lower chamber in February 2025, but the Supreme Court back then declared the Articles of Impeachment against her unconstitutional.