FILE PHOTO: Senate President Francis “Chiz” G. Escudero talks to reporters on Monday, November 4, 2024. – Escudero urged colleagues in the upper chamber to refrain from publicly commenting on the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte. In a statement on December 2, 2024, the Senate’s top leader likewise said the upper chamber is ready to fulfill its mandate with integrity and impartiality should the impeachment complaint prosper. (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)
MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero urged colleagues in the upper chamber to refrain from publicly commenting on the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.
The Senate’s top leader issued the call as he vouched that the upper chamber is ready to fulfill its mandate with integrity and impartiality should the impeachment complaint prosper.
Escudero noted that the endorsement of an impeachment complaint in the House of Representatives marks the beginning of a process to ensure accountability among the government’s highest officials.
“I reiterate my call to my colleagues in the Senate to refrain from making any public comments or statements regarding the allegations in the complaint’s articles of impeachment,” he said in a statement Monday.
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“Should the Senate be called upon to act as an impeachment court, any perception of bias or prejudgment would undermine not only the integrity of the impeachment trial but also the public’s trust in the Senate as an institution,” he emphasized.
He said it is also important that senators view the political exercise with impartiality and objectivity, urging them to stay steadfast in upholding the principles of justice and fairness in adherence to the rule of law.
“This is what justice requires. This is what our people demand,” Escudero stressed.
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“The Senate stands ready to fulfill its constitutional mandate with integrity and impartiality while upholding the national interest,” he added.
On Monday afternoon, civil society organizations filed the first impeachment complaint against Duterte before the House of Representatives’ Office of the Secretary General.
Akbayan Party-list Rep. Percival Cendaña endorsed by the 50-page impeachment complaint against Vice President Duterte.