Sara Duterte on trial: 22 senators take oath as senator-judges

MANILA, Philippines  – The impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte progresses now that the 22 senators of the 19th Congress have officially taken their oath as senator-judges.

Senate President Francis Escudero, who first took his oath as a presiding officer of the court on Monday, led the oathtaking of senators.

“I, (please state your name), solemnly swear that in all things pertaining to the trial of the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte now pending, I will do impartial justice according to the Constitution in the laws of the Philippines. So help me God,” Escudero pronounced while leading the senators. 

Of all the senators present at the hall, only Senators Robin Padilla, Cynthia Villar, and Imee Marcos did not put on their impeachment trial robes. 

This development transpired during the chamber’s Tuesday plenary session after they convened into an impeachment court.

The convening of the court was originally scheduled on Wednesday, June 11.

But the sudden change in schedule was triggered by the motion raised by known-Duterte ally Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa seeking to dismiss the case against Vice President Duterte. 

Dela Rosa made his motion in a privilege speech, citing constitutional infirmities and questions on the jurisdiction of the 20th Congress in Duterte’s case. 

The debates in the plenary took hours before Escudero ruled that the chamber should first convene into a court before they could decide on dela Rosa’s motion. 

It was the two-man minority bloc of the Senate that initially moved that the chamber “immediately convene” as an impeachment court to try the case against Duterte, citing the lawmakers’ constitutional duty.

Screengrab from video

While the Senate minority bloc failed to get their colleagues’ consensus on the Senate’s convening as an impeachment court on Monday, the motion made by Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel led the lawmakers to unanimously agree that Senate President Chiz Escudero finally take his oath as the presiding officer of the impeachment court that will try Duterte./apl /gsg