Chiz: VP Sara not special; Senate to act transparently and impartially

Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero stressed that the upper chamber would neither expedite nor delay the impeachment process against Vice President Sara Duterte for any party’s benefit. 

In a radio interview, the senator said, “Well, karamihan ng mga nagrereklamo ng ganyan hindi ko lalahati— ayaw kay Vice President, galit kay Duterte, gusto siyang ma-impeach. At gustong dali-daling matapos at matanggal siya. Ulitin ko, sinumang anti o pro Duterte, sinumang anti o pro impeachment hindi po namin bibigyang pansin."

(Well, most of the people complaining, and I won’t generalize — are against the Vice President; they are angry at Duterte and want her to be impeached. They want to rush things and have her removed. Let me repeat, we will not pay attention to anyone who is anti or pro-Duterte, or anyone who is anti or pro-impeachment)

Escudero also stressed that no political pressure would affect the impartiality of the impeachment case against the Vice President, ensuring a fair process for Duterte as a respondent.

He then dismissed rumors of any political bias. 

“Hindi po namin siya papaburan kaya hindi namin ito mamadaliin pero hindi rin namin ito labis na ipagpapaliban. Gagawin lang po namin kung ano ang tama. Maski anong sigawan o ingay sa kanya. At kung mabilis naman ang takbo hindi rin namin ito babagalan, maski na mag alboroto, mag tatalon o mag sisigaw ang sinumang pabor sa kanya,” he said. 

(We will not favor her, so we will not rush the process, but we will not unnecessarily delay it either. We will simply do what is right, regardless of any shouting or noise directed at her. And if things are moving quickly, we will not slow them down, even if those in favor of her cause a commotion, jump, or shout)

When asked about the possibility of a special session being called by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to address the impeachment case, Escudero said there was no communication regarding such a plan.

However, he clarified that if the President were to call a special session, senators would be required to attend.

“Wala po. Pero siyempre ‘pag nagpatawag ang Pangulo, anong gagawin namin? Eh 'di kailangan namin mag-attend (None. But of course, if the President calls for a meeting, what would we do? We'd have to attend),” he said.

Marcos earlier said that he was open to calling a special session but emphasized that the Senate must make a formal request to do so. 

However, Escudero saw no need to call for a special session, pointing out that previous impeachment cases were not fast-tracked and that no senators had yet lobbied for the same.

“Hindi espesyal si Vice President Sara Duterte. Hindi espesyal ang posisyon ng Vice President para 'yung sa kanya madaliin namin, sa Chief Justice hindi, sa Ombudsman hindi. Pare-pareho lamang silang impeachable officers na sa ilalim ng Konstitusyon ay dapat tratuhin din ng pare-parehas — walang labis, walang kulang, walang nakakalamang, walang naaapi,” he said. 

(Vice President Sara Duterte is not special. The position of the Vice President is not exempt from the usual process; we won't rush things for her, just as we didn’t for the Chief Justice or the Ombudsman. They are all impeachable officers who, under the Constitution, should be treated equally—no more, no less, no one should have an advantage or be at a disadvantage)

Meanwhile, Escudero urged his fellow senators, particularly those seeking re-election or running for the upcoming 20th Congress, to refrain from making statements that might appear to pre-judge the impeachment trial. 

He noted that "they will be sitting as impeachment judges when the time comes.”

Escudero said senators must study and ensure that the case will be approached impartially. 

The senate president vowed to conduct the case transparently and confirmed that the Senate would soon make the articles of impeachment publicly available on its official website. 

“Dahil pampublikong dokumento ‘yan, hindi naman sikreto para lamang hindi mabasa at malaman ng publiko at para maiwasan na rin yung mga alegasyong tinatago, may pinapaboran o sikreto ‘yan (Because that is a public document, it is not a secret meant to be kept from the public and to avoid allegations that it is being hidden, someone is being favored or it’s a secret),” he said.