‘Most dangerous option’: Group opposes Escudero to lead VP Duterte impeach trial

Joshua Manio

Group Tindig Pilipinas on June 20 branded Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero as “the most dangerous” figure within the Senate majority bloc, strongly opposing reported plans to elect him as presiding officer of Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.

The group warned that allowing Escudero to lead the impeachment court would revive public concerns over his controversial handling of Duterte’s first impeachment proceedings in 2025, which critics blamed for delaying and ultimately derailing the case.

“In a Senate composed of imperfect options, we recognize the tactical considerations that may have informed this plan. But among the available options, this is perhaps the most imperfect and one of the most dangerous,” Tindig Pilipinas said in a statement .

The coalition’s opposition came days after Senator Panfilo Lacson disclosed that members of the Senate majority bloc had reached a consensus to elect Escudero as presiding officer once the Senate reconvenes as an impeachment court. 

In the revised Senate impeachment rules approved earlier this month, senators may choose a presiding officer other than the Senate president through a majority vote.

Escudero’s possible return to a central role in the impeachment proceedings has reignited debate over his actions during the first attempt to try Duterte in 2025.

As Senate president then, Escudero drew criticism for his interpretation of the constitutional directive requiring the Senate to proceed “forthwith” with impeachment proceedings. 

While several constitutional framers maintained that the term meant acting without delay, Escudero argued that it did not necessarily require immediate action, a position that opponents said paved the way for months of postponements.

For Tindig Pilipinas, that interpretation remains a defining issue.

“This plan inevitably recalls Escudero’s conduct during the previous impeachment proceedings, where his twisted interpretation of the constitutional directive to proceed ‘forthwith’ became the basis for the delay and deferment of the impeachment process,” the group said.

The controversy reached its peak on August 6, 2025, when the Senate under Escudero’s leadership voted to archive the articles of impeachment against Duterte. 

The move effectively ended the proceedings and sparked accusations that the Senate leadership was shielding the Vice President from accountability.

Public criticism intensified further when Escudero later voted in favor of a motion supported by Duterte allies to remand the articles of impeachment to the House of Representatives. 

The move stalled the process anew and was eventually invalidated after the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional, citing violations of the Constitution’s one-year bar rule on impeachment complaints.

The group said Escudero’s legal credentials and experience do not automatically qualify him to oversee what could become one of the most consequential political trials in recent Philippine history.

“Legal knowledge alone does not guarantee fairness, impartiality, or fidelity to the spirit of the Constitution,” Tindig Pilipinas said.

The coalition instead urged senators to allow Senate President Win Gatchalian to preside over the proceedings, arguing that the position should remain with the chamber’s sitting leader as the Senate seeks to restore public trust after weeks of internal political maneuvering.

The issue emerged amid a dramatic reshuffling of Senate leadership earlier this month. On June 3, senators removed the previous leadership and installed Gatchalian as Senate Pro Tempore and later on, President. 

Escudero played a pivotal role in the realignment after breaking away from the bloc of former Senate president Alan Peter Cayetano and backing Gatchalian’s ascent.

A day after formally assuming the Senate presidency on June 18, Gatchalian said the question of who would preside over the impeachment court would ultimately be decided by the senators themselves.