Escudero: Senate to decide on impeachment case vis-à-vis SC ruling on Aug. 6

PHILIPPINES, July 31 - Press Release
July 30, 2025

SENATE TO DECIDE ON IMPEACHMENT CASE VIS-À-VIS SC RULING ON AUG. 6

The Senate will take action on the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte vis-à-vis the Supreme Court ruling on petitions filed in connection with moves to remove her from office on August 6, according to Senate President Francis "Chiz" G. Escudero

The Senate leader made the statement to correct erroneous news reports saying that the upper chamber has already scrapped the impeachment trial of Duterte.

On Tuesday, the 24-member Senate held a caucus during which the senators agreed to take up next week the matter in light of the High Court's decision declaring the impeachment case unconstitutional for violating the one-year bar provision of the Charter.

"The Senate decides everything as a collegial body. Someone will make a motion and if someone objects, we put it to a vote. So we'll put this to a debate and vote on August 6 on what to do with the impeachment in light of the Supreme Court decision," Senate President Escudero said.

According to the Senate leader, this will give his colleagues, who will seat as senator-judges in the Impeachment Court, enough time to go through the unanimous decision of the Supreme Court comprised of 97 pages plus concurring opinions of the magistrates.

"Yung desisyon mismo 97 pages, excluding 'yung concurring opinions of the other members of the Supreme Court at hindi naman po lahat ay nag-aral ng abogasiya kaya kung kinakailangan, mabigyan ng konting panahon pa," said the veteran legislator. "Ako nga humihingi rin ako ng konting panahon pa sa aking mga kasamahan kaugnay ng pagbabasa at pag-unawa dun sa desisyon bago namin igawad ang aming pagpapasya kaugnay nito."

As a lawyer, the Senate President explained that a decision must be made by the upper chamber soon because the Supreme Court decision was immediately executory.

Assuming that the House of Representatives will file a motion for reconsideration before the Supreme Court, he said, there is no way of knowing when a ruling will come out.

There is also the fact that the ruling of the Supreme Court en banc was unanimous and based on experience, he added, the possibility of reversing the original decision is unlikely.

"Pwede rin namang hintayin na mag-file muna 'yung House of Representatives ng motion for reconsideration. Pero hindi pa maliwanag 'yun. Baka mag-antay kami sa wala. At kung hinihintayin namin 'yun, kailan na naman magpapasa ang Korte Suprema? In the meantime, anong gagawin namin? Held in abeyance? Postponed muna?" he raised.

"We cannot decide based on the mere whim of partisan people who have already taken a position either for or against. I said this at the beginning of the impeachment when it was filed last February 5, hindi ko papakinggan . . . 'yung pabor kay VP Sara at ayaw sa impeachment at 'yung ayaw kay VP Sara at pabor sa impeachment. I will not be cowed nor bullied by these people into acting one way or the other. We will do what we think is right," Senate President Escudero said.