The Senate majority bloc has initially agreed to support Sen. Chiz Escudero as presiding officer for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, according to Sen. Panfilo Lacson.
Speaking on the sidelines of Wednesday’s special session, Lacson said members of the majority bloc reached a consensus to elect Escudero should the Senate convene again as an impeachment court.
“As per our consensus as of this morning, we will elect Senator Chiz Escudero if we convene again as impeachment court to be the presiding officer,” Lacson told reporters.
Lacson said the decision was based on Escudero’s legal background and his previous experience presiding over impeachment proceedings.
However, he stressed that the arrangement remains tentative and could still change.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros declined to confirm whether a final decision had been reached, saying the matter would ultimately be decided by the impeachment court itself.
“Everything will be decided on the impeachment court. We can’t speak of it here,” Hontiveros said.
Earlier, Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said Escudero and Sen. Kiko Pangilinan were among those being considered for the role because both are lawyers.
Under the revised Senate impeachment rules, the Senate president is no longer automatically designated as presiding officer. Instead, the Senate may elect any senator to oversee the proceedings through a majority vote.
The impeachment trial of Duterte is expected to begin on July 6, while a pretrial conference involving House prosecutors and the vice president’s camp is scheduled for June 18.
Duterte is facing allegations that include graft and corruption, unexplained wealth, bribery, and grave threats.
