MISLEADING: Escudero dismisses motion of Luistro, Remulla, favors Duterte’s defense leading to acquittal 

Philip Gabriel Caysido

A video from YouTube circulating online claims that Senator Francis Escudero rejected a motion by Rep. Gerville Luistro and Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, effectively leading to Vice President Sara Duterte’s acquittal. 

CLAIM

The video presents an alleged legal development on the Senate Impeachment Trial, claiming that Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero effectively ended the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte by rejecting the motions of House lead prosecutor Gerville Luistro and Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla. 

Afterwards, the video concluded that the procedural ruling during the first day of the impeachment trial, which resulted in Vice President Duterte’s acquittal, showed that Escudero acted in favor of the defense and weakened the prosecution’s case. 

RATING: MISLEADING

CONCLUSION

There is no official acquittal issued by the Senate impeachment court clearing Vice President Sara Duterte of the impeachment case against her. As the Senate began the first day of the Senate impeachment trial, the procedure addressed preliminary matters and the resolution of procedural motions, not the final verdict. Combining the names of Rep. Luistro and Ombudsman Remulla in a single claim appears to exaggerate the denial of Luistro’s motion, as there is no official motion set by Remulla. In addition, the claim of Escudero siding with Duterte’s defense remains unsupported, as presiding over the impeachment proceedings does not by itself establish bias or support for either side. Since no final vote has been conducted, the impeachment case remains pending. 

THE FACTS:

• No official acquittal from the Senate impeachment trial has been issued to Vice President Sara Duterte. In fact, the Senate had only convened as an impeachment court on its first day and addressed procedural matters, including electing Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero as presiding officer. 
• The Senate impeachment court as a whole denied the motion of House lead prosecutor Gerville Luistro to read the articles of impeachment and arraign Vice President Sara Duterte, not presiding officer Chiz Escudero, acting on his own.
• Denying a procedural motion is not an acquittal. The impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte remained pending; hence, an acquittal can only occur after the trial is completed and the required number of 16 senators vote to convict. 
• There is no official record that Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla had a motion during the impeachment trial that was denied by the Senate impeachment court. 

THE BOTTOMLINE

The online video is misleading as it confuses a procedural ruling during the Senate impeachment trial with a final verdict of clearing Vice President Sara Duterte from impeachment. As the post implies that the Senate impeachment court’s denial of House lead prosecutor Gerville Luistro’s motion is in favor of Duterte’s defense, while falsely implying that Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero personally rejected the motion and that Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla was involved in the same ruling, it misleads the public regarding the status of the impeachment trial and the roles of the individuals involved.