After members of the Senate Impeachment Court elected him as the presiding officer, Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, on Monday, July 6 vowed to ensure that the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte would be guided by fairness and integrity. 

Escudero made the promise after 12 senator-judges elected him to be the presiding officer. He now sits beside Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian during the impeachment trial.

“As Presiding Officer, I shall do my part to uphold the fairness and integrity of this process, and shall see it through to its proper conclusion,” Escudero said in his speech after getting elected by majority of his peers.

“At this point, I would lie to thank my colleagues for their trust and confidence.  I did not seek, nor did I ask for this responsibility. But neither will I shirk from fulfilling this duty without fear or favor,” he said.

Escudero noted that terminating an eleted mandate before the end of his or her term is among the “most drastic acts our constitutional democracy can undertake.”

“That is why the trial must be guided with prudence, tempered by caution, and marked with unquestionable impartiality. We must avoid even the appearance of impropriety and observe the ‘cold neutrality of an impartial judge’ at all times,” he said. 

At this point, he urged fellow senator-judges, prosecutors, respondent, and their respective counsels and witnesses, to refrain from making any public comments and disclosures on the merits of the trial.

“Let us all heed the words of the Supreme Court that ‘Impeachment is not a chance to settle political scores. It’s not a stage for political theater or personal attacks. Because when the focus shifts to the person rather than the alleged wrongdoing, the process loses its integrity,” he said. 

At the same time, Escudero said the Impeachment Court will follow the Constitution’s threshold of 16 votes in convicting Duterte.

"The Constitution provides that no person shall be convicte without the concurrence of two-thirds of all the members of the Senate. With 24 members of the Senate, a literal interpretation of this means that conviction requires the affirmative vote of at least 16 senator-judges,” the senator said.

He said this interpretation is backed by the 2000 case of Bayan v. Zamora, which concerned the Senate’s compliance with the two-thirds vote required to concur in a treaty.

“It behooves, therefore, all of us, to observe the same fidelity to the Constitution, in this trial, which affects not only the mere ratification of a treaty, but more so affects the substantial rights of the respondent, as well as the sovereign will of the people as expressed in the overwhelming mandate given to her,” he said.

“This is the prevailing law today. And whether we agree with it or not, we must abide by it,” he said.

He said those who hold an opposing view to the decision of the impeachment court may seek judicial relief from the Supreme Court. 

Prior to the start of the impeachment trial of the Vice President, the Sandiganbayan had ordered the arrest of Sen. Rodante Marcoleta over plunder charges. 

Aside from Marcoleta, Sen. Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada was also arrested for plunder charges in connection with his supposed involvement in the flood control scam and is now under a 90-day preventive suspension. 

On the other hand, Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, who earlier surfaced to vote for Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president, went missing again as the International Criminal Court (ICC) confirmed it has a standing arrest warrant against the lawmaker over his involvement in the massive killings that happened during the Duterte administration’s war on illegal drugs.

Escudero’s statement affirmed Gatchalian's earlier remark that 16 votes are still needed to convict the vice president.