FROM being a staunch ally, Senator Francis Escudero has evolved to become Vice President Sara Duterte’s biggest concern insofar as the impeachment trial is concerned.
This comes as the Senate elected Escudero as presiding officer of the impeachment court. He was nominated to the post by Senator Panfilo Lacson amid a strong opposition of the minority bloc led by Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano.
Twelve majority bloc members voted in favor of installing Escudero as impeachment court presiding officer. The remaining eight senators were against.
Majority Senators Francis Pangilinan and Vicente Sotto III said there is no explicit Constitutional provision compelling the Senate President to preside over an impeachment trial.
Interestingly, presiding over an impeachment trial isn’t the first for Escudero, who previously held the same position in 2025 when he was still the Senate president.
According to Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, the ratified amendment to the Senate rules allowed a Escudero — a lawyer, to serve as a presiding officer of the impeachment court
“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.
Questions on amendments of Senate rules, he added, should be discussed when Senate convenes as a legislative body and not when it functions as a Senate impeachment court,
Aside from Escudero, there are three other lawyers in the Senate — Pangilinan, Alan Peter and his sister Pia Cayetano.
