MANILA, Philippines — The Senate has formally constituted itself as an impeachment court for the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, with proceedings scheduled to officially begin on June 11.
Senate President Francis Escudero assumed his role as presiding officer on Monday, marking the official formation of the impeachment court, although it has not yet convened.
“Once you convene it, you’ve already struck the gavel. Constituted means it has been formally created. It’s considered constituted because there’s already a presiding officer, even if the members haven’t formally assumed their roles yet,” Escudero said.
“It’s like us now — the Senate is already constituted, but we haven’t convened yet. That will happen later this afternoon,” he added.
The remaining 22 senators who will serve as trial judges are expected to take their oaths Tuesday at 4:00 p.m.
Escudero brushed off concerns over the sequence of events, saying it was a non-issue.
“There’s no technicality. If you’re asking whether someone will bring this to the Supreme Court to question it on a technicality that could possibly stop the impeachment, I don’t think so.”
He noted that the court’s convening on Wednesday would be mostly ceremonial, with the House of Representatives’ prosecutors presenting the Articles of Impeachment against Duterte.
The House had initially planned to trigger the Senate’s convening by submitting the charges directly. However, the Senate opted instead to refer the articles to the committee on rules.
Once fully convened, the impeachment court will manage the pre-trial process, issue summons, and finalize the trial calendar.
The impeachment trial stems from allegations endorsed by over 200 House lawmakers, including:
Misuse of confidential funds in Duterte’s office and during her term as Education Secretary;
Alleged threats against President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez;
And supposed non-disclosure of assets in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).
The House transmitted the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate on February 5, with the trial now moving forward after several months of procedural delays.
