Escudero firm: No trial before June

SENATE President Francis Escudero said on Wednesday that nobody can force him to start an impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte until the Senate resumes session on June 2.

Escudero issued the statement following the submission of a position paper by Bayan Muna Chairman Neri Colmenares, urging the Senate to convene as an impeachment court immediately.

He said starting the trial now would not work because of the rule that 2/4 votes were needed to reach a verdict.

He added that the impeachment court cannot finish the trial before June 30, when the composition of the Senate will change with the entry of those who will be elected in May.

However, Escudero gave assurances that the Senate would follow whatever the Constitution mandates, adding the upper chamber was constitutionally obliged to act as an impeachment court after receiving the impeachment articles.

He said this would happen once the Senate was done with the pretrial process.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ordered the Senate to respond within 10 days to a petition requesting the immediate trial of the impeachment complaint against the vice president.

The petition for mandamus was filed on Friday by lawyer Catalino Generillo Jr.

Escudero said Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra would represent the Senate in the case.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III said that the Senate may convene as an impeachment court even during the break of Congress.

Pimentel added that this could be done if President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. would call for a special session to convene the Senate as an impeachment court and if the senators would agree to the request.