SENATE President Francis Escudero on Thursday rejected suggestions that he is intentionally delaying the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, where senators will sit as judges.

Escudero issued the statement in response to Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who supported Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III's position, that nothing is preventing the Senate from initiating the impeachment trial.

At the same time, Escudero ordered the establishment of an administrative support group that will assist the Senate when it convenes as an impeachment court.

He said the support group would ensure that the Senate operates smoothly and efficiently as an impeachment court.

"We are committed to upholding the highest standards of justice and due process throughout the proceedings," Escudero said after issuing a special order to organize the group.

The secretary of the Senate will sit as the clerk of court of the impeachment trial, who will be provided comprehensive legal, technical, administrative and general staff support by personnel from the Senate secretariat.

Senate Secretary Renato Bantug Jr. said he is ready to fulfill his role as clerk of court.

"It (trial preparation) will be tough, but I think I am ready. I assisted the former [Senate] secretary and the then-OSP (Office of the Senate President) in the last impeachment trial and that experience is helping me a lot," Bantug said in a text message.

"But there is really a need to prepare for it," he added.

Pressure to start

Hontiveros and Pimentel are pressing for an all-senator caucus to discuss the potential convening of the Senate for the trial, despite the ongoing recess for the 2025 midterm elections.

Escudero countered their demands, indicating that many senators are preoccupied with campaigning, others are vacationing abroad and some hold little interest in the proceedings.

He has also written to Duterte, Speaker Martin Romualdez and senators to inform them of the process to be followed in the "verified impeachment complaint" received from the House against the vice president on Feb. 5.

Also included in the letter is the proposed calendar of the impeachment trial, with the target of starting the impeachment trial itself on July 30 or after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s State of the Nation Address.

As preparations for the impeachment trial move forward, Escudero said the proposed schedule has been drafted and shared with all senators serving as senator-judges.

He announced that these senators would be sworn in on June 2, coinciding with the end of the recess following the May elections.

On the June 2 resumption of session, he said, the prosecutors from the House of Representatives would present the articles of impeachment, which will be read in plenary so that they will become part of the Senate records. Approval of the rules should also be done by June 2, again more or less depending on how long the debate is, Escudero said in Filipino.

Following the resumption of evidence on June 4, the Senate plans to issue summons as part of the pretrial process. Escudero noted that senators whose terms conclude on June 28 will not participate further in the trial, while the remaining 12 will continue.

Additionally, newly elected senators from the midterm elections will be sworn in on July 29 as part of the 20th Congress. However, Escudero reiterated that this is a pretrial activity, not a formal beginning of the impeachment court.

If the majority supports it, the Senate could officially begin its impeachment court proceedings on July 30, with the presentation of evidence set to start on the same day.

The letter states Escudero's order to review the rules of the impeachment trial for possible amendments; the physical arrangements to be made in the Senate session hall that will serve as the impeachment court; the establishment of security and the designation of areas for the prosecution, defense, media and other guests; and the preparation of necessary logistics to ensure a smooth and transparent trial.

The letter also informs the recipients that the Senate has also organized administrative support, assigning each office in the upper house to play a role in the impeachment trial as well as the necessary equipment, supplies or items to be used in the impeachment trial.

Escudero reminded the senators that their standing as senator judges is an extraordinary duty that requires careful and adequate preparation.

Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua welcomed Escudero's special order to organize a special support group in the Senate for the impeachment trial.

Chua, part of the House of Representatives' 11-man prosecution team for the impeachment trial, said now that the articles of impeachment have been sent to the Senate, it must proceed in accordance with its rules.

On Feb. 5, the House impeached the vice president and transmitted the articles of impeachment to the Senate which, under the 1987 Constitution, has the sole power to try and decide impeachment cases.

Over 200 House lawmakers supported the impeachment complaint.