Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero emphasized that settling the leadership friction within the Senate was a critical prerequisite before the chamber transforms into an impeachment court for Vice President Sara Duterte’s trial on July 6.
During a podcast broadcasted on social media, Escudero explained that starting the high-stakes proceedings with an unresolved leadership crisis would only damage the integrity of the trial and cast doubt on its final verdict.
“Ang pinakahuling gusto nating makita kapag nagta-trial ang Senado, may dalawang uupo sa taas at magsasabing, ‘Ako ang ganyan, ako ang ganyan.’ Parang ang sama. Sa dami ng kaguluhan sa Pilipinas, huwag na nating dagdagan pa,” Escudero said.
He pointed out that the looming impeachment process is already highly polarizing, split almost equally down the middle among the Filipino public.
“Sa bigat ng pagkakahiwalay ng bansa natin sa impeachment trial ni Vice President Duterte, halos kalahati pabor, kalahati tutol diyan, dadagdagan pa ba natin ng away at sigalot sa loob?” he asked.
The lawmaker underscored that establishing institutional stability and clear authority beforehand was paramount to protecting the trial’s legal weight.
“Importante para sa acho na ma-settle yung issue na yun bago pa man magsimula ang trial ni Vice President Sara para klaro na rin yung magiging resulta kung saka-sakali man nung paglilitis na yun at walang duda kaugnay sa magiging epekto nun,” he said.
Escudero further cautioned that an ongoing power struggle would heavily damage public trust in the Senate’s capacity to execute its constitutional duty with fairness and credibility.
The political standoff finally concluded during a special session on June 17, when Senator Alan Peter Cayetano yielded the Senate presidency to Senate President Win Gatchalian, ending a month-long stalemate.
The internal conflict had previously paralyzed the chamber’s operations, as Cayetano and his supporting faction boycotted the final three days of plenary sessions, resulting in a lack of quorum that frozen legislative progress just before the sine die adjournment.