Senate President Chiz Escudero is drawing sharp criticism online after he was seen walking away from the presiding officer’s seat just as opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros began speaking during a Senate session on the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte.
In a widely circulated video clip from the June 2 plenary, Escudero granted Hontiveros the floor with a brief, “Yes, you may proceed,” then adjusted his microphones and walked away, leaving her to speak alone. The clip has since gone viral on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), amassing over 1.2 million views and sparking backlash over what many netizens perceived as a display of disrespect.
Hontiveros, undeterred, used her time to call out the Senate’s inaction on Duterte’s impeachment trial. “Hahatulan tayo ng sambayanan kung hindi natin ginampanan ang tungkulin na ito sa sambayanan,” she said, citing the 1987 Constitution’s mandate that the Senate must proceed with an impeachment trial once the House has filed the articles.
After she concluded, Escudero returned, banged the gavel, and acknowledged her remarks with, “Noted and entered into the records.”
Online reactions were swift and pointed. One post read: “When your colleagues are talking, you need to listen, Chiz!” Others described his behavior as arrogant, unprofessional, and a failure of leadership.
The controversy comes amid rising tensions over the delayed impeachment proceedings against Duterte, who was formally impeached by the House of Representatives on February 5 on charges including graft, corruption, and betrayal of public trust. The articles were transmitted to the Senate that same day but have yet to be tackled in plenary.
Escudero previously postponed the presentation of the impeachment documents to June 11, citing the need to prioritize key legislation before Congress adjourns on June 30. Among the pending bills are those addressing POGOs, government restructuring, and healthcare reforms.
He said that on June 11, the House prosecutors would present the Articles of Impeachment in plenary, at which point the Senate is expected to convene as an impeachment court and formally begin the trial process.
Should the deadline pass without progress, the trial will be deferred to the opening of the 20th Congress in July.
