Will the Senate convene as an impeachment court on June 11?

Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero on Monday, June 9, said that the Senate is scheduled to convene as an impeachment court on June 11 to begin proceedings on the impeachment complaint filed against Vice President Sara Duterte, yet he emphasized that any such move must still go through plenary action.

"Yun ang nakalagay sa schedule namin. Yun ang binabalak kong gawin (That’s what’s on our schedule. That’s what I plan to do)," Escudero said in response to a question about the June 11 target date. He stressed that convening the impeachment court is not a unilateral act, reiterating that all Senate actions are subject to motions and plenary approval.

"Pero gaya ng sinabi ko, lahat ng bagay ay dadaan sa mosyon, lahat ng bagay ay dadaan sa plenary action (But as I’ve said, everything will go through a motion, everything will go through plenary action)," he added.

Escudero noted that no senator objected when he initially set the schedule on June 2. Even when it was reset to June 11, there were only expressions of concern but no formal motions to hold the session earlier.

Some senators have argued that convening as an impeachment court is automatic under the Constitution and does not require a vote. Escudero acknowledged their view but maintained that voting has been the Senate’s practice in past impeachments.

"Uulitin ko ah, lahat nung ginawa nung nakaraan, pinagbotohan, wala namang nagreklamo (Let me repeat, everything that was done in the past was put to a vote, and no one complained)," he said.

Escudero described the issue as “highly politically charged,” noting divisions within the Senate in support of and in opposition to the Vice President. He assured that all senators would be given the freedom to express their views and that the chamber would vote on all critical decisions, as was done in previous impeachment trials.

“Bilang tagapangulo ng Senado at presiding officer ng plenaryo… buong laya akong bibigyan ng sinumang miyembro na magsalita at sabihin kung anong ninanais nila at pagbobotohan ang lahat ng bagay na gagawin namin tulad nung nakaraan (As Senate President and presiding officer of the plenary, I will give every member full freedom to speak and express what they want, and everything we do will be put to a vote, just like before),” he said.

In a statement, Senator Loren Legarda said that amidst public confusion and varying opinions regarding the impeachment, it is incumbent upon the Senate to hold a caucus immediately and discuss it in the plenary so that the statements and decisions are not made unilaterally.

In an interview, Senator Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri said that Escudero should "show leadership and say, okay let's meet, this is the plan, this is what we want to do."

"Of course will agree with him if we think it's necessary. Pero, we need a plan of action; we cannot be just sparring on the Senate floor.

"Hindi maganda yun (That's not good). And it will look like we are chaotic as an institution. I'm sorry to say," he added.

He also mentioned that he only found out about the scheduled convening of the impeachment court on June 11 through the media.

"Sana naman he tells us either one by one or as a whole. Wala talaga kaming alam (We really know nothing) to be honest," he said.