Senate President Chiz Escudero is facing backlash over senate’s continued delay in discussing the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte.
Akbayan Representative-Elect Perci Cendaña criticized Escudero, saying it seems like he is afraid of Vice President Duterte due to the continued delay in moving forward with the impeachment complaint.
According to Cendaña, the public is already eager for the impeachment trial, and it is time for senators to get to work.
“Every day of delay sends the message that the Senate leadership is either afraid of Vice President Duterte or, worse, actively protecting her,” Cendaña said.
Senator Risa Hontiveros also made a sarcastic remark about the Senate’s four-month delay in handling the impeachment complaint.
“I’ve never seen a ball being dribbled for four months; even in basketball, there’s a shot clock,” Hontiveros said.
Hontiveros added that for four months, the people have been eager, aggressive, impatient, and anxious in waiting for the impeachment to move.
Former Senate President Franklin Drilon said the delay in the impeachment complaint implies that politics is taking precedence over the rule of law.
On the other hand, Senator Koko Pimentel said the Senate should no longer look for excuses to delay the impeachment complaint.
The reading of the articles of impeachment was supposed to start on June 2 but was postponed to June 11, with Escudero citing the need for the Senate to prioritize acting on pending legislative bills.
Over 200 members of civic and people’s organizations have called on the Senate to proceed with the impeachment complaint against Duterte.
Aside from a signature campaign, the group also staged a protest at the Senate to demand the immediate start of the impeachment proceedings against the Vice President.
The protesters said it would be a disservice to the Filipino people if the impeachment did not push through, especially with overwhelming evidence proving the Vice President’s alleged misdeeds.
(Chiz Escudero FB photo)
Abner is an award-winning journalist. He received the prestigious 2015 Titus Brandsma Award for Community Communication in the Philippines and participated in the 2016 International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) of the United States of America, sponsored by the US Embassy in the Philippines. Founder of WATCH NORTH COTABATO, a media-citizens’ transparency group. He worked as a correspondent for the Philippine Daily Inquirer and CNN Philippines. His experience in broadcasting includes anchoring for Brigada News FM in Kidapawan and General Santos City and Brigada News TV. He anchors Tira Brigada via 105.1 Brigada News FM Manila, Mondays-Saturdays.