Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero said on Tuesday, June 10, that the Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, will convene as scheduled regardless of efforts to dismiss or sideline the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.

“Kahit anong mangyari magco-convene sa pananaw ko ang impeachment court (Whatever happens, in my view, the impeachment court will convene),” Escudero told reporters, citing the chamber’s prior agreement to begin proceedings on Wednesday, June 11.

“Yun ang botohan namin kahapon, yun ang pinagkasunduan namin at dapat mangyari yun bago mag-adjourn. (That was the vote yesterday. That was the consensus. And that should happen before we adjourn),” he said.

Escudero made the statement amid questions about a resolution filed by Senator Robin Padilla seeking to declare the impeachment complaint against the Vice President “terminated.” Asked if such a resolution could stop the trial, Escudero emphasized that the complaint must still be referred to the proper committee in accordance with Senate rules.

“All impeachment resolutions must be referred to the Committee on Justice,” Escudero said.

“It will go through the process. But we only have two session days left, so ask the chairman of the Committee on Justice what they plan to do.”

Pressed further on possible procedural shortcuts or attempts to kill the complaint outright, specifically with its referral to the Committee on Rules, Escudero remained firm: “That’s not a technicality I will allow. I’m speaking now as the presiding officer. I don’t see that as a valid way to stop the impeachment court from convening.”

He also rejected rumors that voting was made during the Senate’s session break, stating that it’s not his job to comment on gossip.

Escudero reiterated that he prefers transparency and that all deliberations must be done on the Senate floor, not in a caucus or closed-door meetings.

“There was no caucus. I would not allow a caucus. Every decision must be debated and voted on in plenary,” he stressed.

While he acknowledged that any senator could move to either convict or acquit the Vice President without a trial, Escudero warned that doing so would be improper.

"Anyone can rise up and say wag na tayo magtrial, magconvict na tayo. So kailangan namin pagdebatehan at pagbotohan 'yon ("Anyone can rise up and say, 'Let’s skip the trial, let’s convict her already.' So we need to debate and vote on that)," he said.

"Anybody can say i-acquit natin siya pero syempre mali yon. Hindi tama (Anybody can say, 'Let’s acquit her,' but of course that would be wrong. That’s not right)," he added.

He added that the referral of the complaint to the Senate Committee on Rules is a ministerial act based on established precedent.

“It is established by precedent. That’s how it was done before. It’s ministerial,” Escudero explained. “I even wanted to refer it straight to the impeachment court. But Senator Koko [Pimentel] said it should go to the Committee on Rules, because that’s how it was done before.”

Escudero also addressed the question of when the actual impeachment trial would begin, reiterating a position he already made public earlier this year.

“I already said this back in February. The trial will commence in the 20th Congress because there’s no more time left now,” he said.

“That’s not our fault. The House chose to file it during the final days—the last hours—of our session, knowing that only two weeks were left.”