Senate President Chiz Escudero stood firm on Monday, rejecting calls for his inhibition from the upcoming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
This comes after student group Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK) submitted an open letter to the Senate, urging Escudero to step aside as presiding officer and senator-judge for the sake of “public trust and accountability.” The group argued that the prolonged process has fueled political drama and distracted from the core issues surrounding the Vice President.
But Escudero dismissed their appeal, emphasizing that fairness does not mean giving in to partisan views.
“If their definition of fairness is blatantly supporting someone and their personal desires, then that’s not fairness,” he said in Filipino. “What they want to happen is clear, and just because I disagree with them doesn’t mean I’m not being fair.”
He stressed that true fairness lies in applying the rules equally to all.
Escudero also accused the group of having an obvious bias. “They want the Vice President to be impeached, and they clearly do not want her. I said it before and I will say it again — we will not listen to those who are for or against the accused. We will follow what is right under the law.”
Meanwhile, the Senate is eyeing a new date for the start of the trial. At least four to six senators, including Escudero, are backing a proposal to move the opening to August 4, a week later than the originally scheduled July 30. Senator Joel Villanueva explained that the delay would give the chamber time to implement organizational changes for the 20th Congress.
