Sen. Koko Pimentel To Ask Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero over Postponement of Impeachment Proceedings
KOKO PIMENTEL – The former Senate President reacted to the postponement of the proceedings in Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte who was impeached by the House of Representatives last February 5 has a looming impeachment trial. Over two-thirds of the lawmakers in the House signed the impeachment rap against the Vice President despite the previous pronouncement of Pres. Bongbong Marcos.
Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero previously denied the calls to start Duterte’s impeachment trial right away but assured that it will push through despite the detention of former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte under the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. He allowed Sen. Koko Pimentel to help draft the rules in the impeachment trial. Escudero also called on his fellow senators to refrain from giving stand on Duterte’s impeachment trial.
According to the Senate President, the upper chamber is doing a higher level of preparation for the impeachment trial of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. Despite the Senate Chief’s order to his fellow lawmakers in the upper chamber, reelected Sen. Bato dela Rosa, a Duterte ally, expressed his confidence that the Vice President will be acquitted in her impeachment trial. He claimed that more than 9 senators are on their side.
Dela Rosa also claimed that non-allies have moved to their side over Duterte’s impeachment trial. The Vice President also previously claimed that her lawyers are allegedly “more than confident” to win the impeachment trial.
However, recently, Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero announced the postponement of the proceedings in Duterte’s impeachment trial. According to the Senate Chief, from June 2, the reading of the articles of impeachment by the House of Representatives’ prosecution team will be moved to June 11.
Escudero claimed that the Congress have many measures that must be passed before the end of the 19th Congress on June 14. He stressed that the laws are in line with the pursuit of the Marcos administration to make the government aligned to the demands of the people.
Sen. Koko Pimentel reacted to the decision of Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero to delay the start of the impeachment proceedings of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte. Based on a report on GMA News, the former Senate President claimed that he will ask their chief about it.
“We have to ask SP his thought processes and how come he is now changing his own ‘impeachment calendar’ issued months ago,” Pimentel said.
Based on the report, Sen. Koko Pimentel said that the legislative agenda of the Congress should be a second priority in the event of an impeachment proceeding. He claimed that there is a provision in the impeachment rules about it.
“Meron kasi section or provision in our impeachment rules that gives the directive, that should there be both legislative and impeachment matters, the legislative agenda should give way to the impeachment proceedings,” he expressed.
Previously, Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero showed his robe for Duterte’s impeachment trial. Malacañang has repeatedly stressed that Pres. Bongbong Marcos will not intervene in the trial.