Chiz to preside over Sara impeachment trial anew?

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June 11, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines —  Acting Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian’s bloc is studying the possibility of electing another senator to preside over the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte amid rumors that Sen. Francis Escudero would get the job.

When asked yesterday about swirling rumors that Escudero would take the rostrum when the Senate again convenes as an impeachment court, Gatchalian said the 12-member majority has yet to formally deliberate on the matter of electing a presiding officer.

“We’ll discuss it. We’ll talk about it,” Gatchalian told reporters.

While Senate presidents are traditionally elected as presiding officers of impeachment courts, the Gatchalian bloc recently adopted amendments to the rules of impeachment wherein any member elected by a majority vote would be presiding over impeachment proceedings.

Fifteen days after June 9, Gatchalian’s bloc could be cleared legally to implement the revised rules following the amendments’ publication in newspapers.

While the Chief Justice is constitutionally mandated to preside over an impeachment court if it’s the president of the Philippines who is on trial, it’s the Senate president who is mandated to preside over all other impeachment cases.

The resolution further stated that the chosen presiding officer “shall, for that purpose, be placed under the prescribed oath or affirmation by any person authorized by law to administer an oath.”

Escudero, battling allegations that he was “master plunderer” in the flood control mess, was the 12th senator who broke the impasse that prevented the chamber from holding session last week. –  Delon Porcalla, Bella Cariaso, Daphne Galve