SENATE President Francis Escudero yesterday said “no amount of signatures” will convince him to immediately convene the Senate as an impeachment court.
Escudero issued the statement after religious groups and sectoral representatives on Tuesday launched a signature campaign to show the Senate there is a clamor to immediately transform itself into an impeachment court and start the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
At the launch of the People’s Impeachment Movement, the groups also said they are aiming to gather at least a million signatures until June 8 to press the Senate to start “right away” with the impeachment trial.
The Articles of Impeachment was submitted by the House of Representatives to the Senate on February 5, the last day of Congress’ session.
Escudero stood firm on his position that the Senate cannot be convened as an impeachment court while Congress is on recess from February 7 until June 1 for the midterm elections.
“No amount of signatures will amend the law or convince me to violate it by convening the impeachment court during recess without complying with the requisite conditions precedent,” Escudero said in a Viber message to reporters.
“The law is not bendable and should not bow to anyone’s dictate simply because of their own desire, bias and timetable of wanting to rush the impeachment proceedings vs. VP Sara,” he added.
Escudero has repeatedly said the trial should be done in accordance with laws and procedures to avoid “more delays.”
Last week, he presented his proposed timetable for the impeachment proceedings, which shows the trial proper starting possibly on July 30.
Arguments mainly as to when the Senate should start impeachment proceedings center on the interpretation of the term “forthwith” in Section 3(4) of Article XI of the Constitution.
The section states that in case a verified complaint or resolution of impeachment is filed by at least one-third of all the members of the House, “the same shall constitute the Articles of Impeachment, and trial by the Senate shall forthwith proceed.”
A petition was filed before the Supreme Court last week asking the magistrates to define “forthwith.”
Other petitions are pending with the High Court, including that of Duterte which asked the tribunal to nullify the impeachment complaint against her.
