Duterte impeachment trial: Senate majority elects Escudero as presiding officer

MANILA, Philippines— Members of the new Senate majority bloc have decided that Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero will serve as the presiding officer during the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said Wednesday that Escudero’s role as presiding officer will be officially confirmed when the impeachment court meets on July 6 during Congress’s special session.

“As per our consensus as of this morning, we will elect Sen. Chiz Escudero if we convene again as the impeachment court to be the presiding officer,”  Lacson said.

READ: Escudero on plenary appearance: ‘I am taking a stand for the Senate’

According to Lacson, the proposal came from Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian.

“That is our consensus as of this morning, but it may still change,” he said.

READ: Sara Duterte impeachment trial: One article enough to convict VP, says Chua

But why Escudero?

Lacson said Escudero was chosen not only because he is a lawyer but also because of his experience in impeachment proceedings.

He rejected suggestions that the move was a quid pro quo for Escudero’s decision to join the new Senate majority.

“No, we discussed it among ourselves just to keep things smooth.”

Escudero had been aligned with former Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano’s bloc until he attended the June 3 Senate session that led to a leadership shake-up in the chamber,

During that session, key Senate posts were declared vacant and Gatchalian was elected Senate president pro tempore.

Gatchalian officially took over Cayetano’s post  in a special  session of Congress called by the President this Wednesday and attended by another Cayetano ally,  Sen. Joel Villanueva.

Meanwhile,  Majority Leader  Juan Miguel Zubiri confirmed that Escudero rejected the offer to become the Senate president pro tempore.

“He (Escudero) was the first choice,” Zubiri said in a message to reporters.

It was Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, who was later elected to the second-highest post in the chamber.

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