President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is stepping back from the ongoing impeachment process against Vice President Sara Duterte, saying the responsibility now rests squarely with the Senate.
“This is really a function of the Senate right now. So, we leave it to them,” Marcos said in an ABS-CBN News report on Tuesday, acknowledging that the case has already moved beyond the House of Representatives and has been with the Senate for several months.
Senate President Francis Escudero officially took his oath as presiding officer of the impeachment court on Monday, after hours of debate in the chamber. Senators are scheduled to be sworn in as judges on Tuesday, with the Senate expected to convene as an impeachment court the following day.
Marcos also pointed out the looming transition between legislative sessions. “The controversy right now is that it (impeachment) will move from the 19th to 20th Congress,” he said, noting that the current Congress ends on June 30.
“There is no way that even if they start the trial now, that they will finish it before the new senators come in. So, well, again, the senators will decide,” he added.
