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A group of lawyers has filed an urgent motion with manifestation before the Supreme Court, seeking to halt the impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte.
The petitioners questioned the constitutionality of the election of Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero as presiding officer of the impeachment court.
The validity of the ongoing impeachment proceedings against the Vice President is now at risk.
This is at the center of the very urgent manifestation with motion filed by a group of lawyers before the Supreme Court, coinciding with the first day of the impeachment trial yesterday. The motion seeks the temporary suspension of the proceedings.
Led by Atty. Israelito Torreon, the petitioners questioned the authority of Senator Escudero, citing the alleged lack of legal basis for him to lead as presiding officer of the impeachment court.
The petitioners insisted that, based on the intent of the framers of the 1986 Constitutional Commission, only the Senate President should preside over all impeachment cases — except when the President of the Philippines himself is the one being tried, in which case the Chief Justice should preside.
The motion emphasized that the amendment to Rule 2 of the Rules of Procedure on Impeachment Trials last June 3, 2026, which allowed the election of another presiding officer, has serious defects.
According to the motion, there was no quorum when the vote took place, since only 12 out of 24 senators were present. Aside from this, the required one-day notice before amending the rules was also allegedly not followed.
The petitioners said the continuation of the trial under a leader whose authority is questionable violates due process and risks the eventual nullification of the entire trial. As stated in the motion:
"Ang bawat araw ng trial sa ilalim ng isang kwestiyunableng presiding officer ay nagpapalala sa constitutional injury."
(Every day of the trial under a questionable presiding officer worsens the constitutional injury.)
The petitioners are asking the Supreme Court to issue a status quo ante order, temporarily stopping the impeachment court from receiving evidence and continuing the trial until the constitutional question over the court's leadership is resolved.
As of this writing, the Supreme Court has yet to act, while the impeachment trial against the country's second-highest official continues.
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Date posted: July 7, 2026 7:06 PM