Sotto blames Chiz for delay in VP Sara impeachment trial

June 6, 2025 , 11:28 PM

By Rodolfo Dacleson II

(June 6, 2025) – Who’s the cause of delay?

Senator-elect Tito Sotto III on Friday pinned the blame on Senate President Chiz Escudero for the hold up in the impeachment trial of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte.

In an interview with One PH’s Sa Totoo Lang, Sotto explained Escudero should have referred the case to the committee on rules “on the same day” the articles of impeachment were received, warning that continued inaction may kill the entire process before the 19th Congress ends.

“Ang dapat ginawa ng leadership ng Senate ni-refer sa floor, dinala sa floor at ni-refer sa committee on rules. So [noong] February 5, 4PM nila natanggap, 7PM sila nag-adjourn. They had 3 hours. You all need to do is 15 seconds to refer it to any committee,” he said.

“Sa ngayon, hindi pa rin nire-refer. Nasa kamay pa rin ng Senate President. And as I said, the Senate President is just the presiding officer, he’s not the Senate,” Sotto added.

Last February 5, the House of Representatives transmitted the impeachment complaint before Congress adjourned for the mid-term elections.

Sotto urged his colleagues to decide through a caucus if the Senate would constitute itself into an impeachment court.

The former Senate president lamented the damage the delay has caused to the Senate’s reputation, which he said has already been tarnished over controversies in the 2025 national budget.

He urged the Senate to act swiftly when the session resumes, warning that failure to do so may result in the impeachment complaint dying a “natural death” in the 19th Congress.

“Kung ginawa ito, pwedeng mag-crossover sa 20th Congress. Kung hindi, mamamatay sa 19th Congress,” Sotto said.

While he admitted that the Senate is already late in acting on the complaint, Sotto believes there is still time to refer it to the rules committee and constitute the Senate as an impeachment court before the new Congress begins in July.

Escudero has yet to respond publicly to Sotto’s statements. Thirteen votes are required to convene the Senate as an impeachment court and proceed with the trial of the vice president..

[Editor’s note: This article was generated by a member of the News5 team using AI and then checked by an editor to ensure accuracy.]

(AGD)

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